Teardrop of the Wolf
by kittyfitz01
Summary: She has finally escaped her imprisonment, and runs into old friends. Can she learn to forgive, forget and maybe even love? Naruto characters come in after the first two chapters. Comments/critiques are appreciated, but I will not tolerate any swearing, hate-filled or bashing in the reviews. Those types of reviews will be promptly deleted. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone, this is my first chapter of my new fanfiction. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I tried to make it mysterious and detailed without giving up too much information too soon. Let me know how it is! Comment, follow or favourite! As usual I don't own Naruto.**

The trees whizzed by as a dark shaped darted through the dark, its heavy breathing echoing through the darkness. The birds flew up, squawking from the intrusion of the dark shape that startled their peace.

Finally stopping, the dark shape stood a top of a large tree root. Large pointed ears stood on top of a large head with red eyes that pierced through the foliage. A tongue lolled out from a mouth full of sharp teeth as its tail swept back and forth.

A breeze drifted through the clearing and a black nose rose to inhale the scents that were carried on the wind. The creature's-a white wolf to be exact-red eyes narrowed as a particular scent was detected.

A deep growl reverberated from the wolf as its ears pinned back. With a flick of the white tail the wolf was gone, running through the trees again.

A couple moments later, three dark shapes appeared in the very spot that the wolf was. The dark shapes looked around, and one let out a string of profanities as they lost their intended target.

"We lost her! Dammit! The boss is going to kill us" one said, throwing a kunai into a tree in frustration.

"Tch. We'll catch her. She can't get too far" another said.

"Let's go. The boss is waiting" the third said, and the three took off.

After a couple moments of silence, the birds began their daily ritual of chirping and squeaking. A twig snapped behind a tree, and the white wolf quietly crept through the branches.

It's ears swivelled back and forth, trying to hear if its pursuers were around. A sigh heaved itself through the wolf as it padded through the growth.

 _"Seems I've lost them finally"_ the wolf thought, softly growling.

A twig snapped nearby, and the wolf's head snapped in the same direction. A snarl etched itself on it's snout, and the wolf jumped through the branches, running at full speed away from the pursuers.

 _"Run Mori run! Move those legs girl!"_ the wolf chanted over and over in her head as the pursuers were once again on her trail.

She had to get to safety.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone! Thank you to luvenzblu for favouring and following my story and to** **Username user (I wish I knew your name) for leaving my first review (I counted the second review as part of the first...I hope you are okay with this xD). Username user you are right, but I am planning on having the Naruto characters come in later on so don't worry :) My updates may be a little sporadic right now due to my mom going through radiation and possibly chemo but I will try my best to update! I don't own Naruto..I wish I did but sadly I don't.**

It seemed like the she-wolf had been running forever as her pursuers had found her trail again and were now always a couple steps behind. Her back and side were screaming in pain as she had barely managed to dodge a multitude of fireballs that hurtled at her.

Her heart pumped frantically as she willed herself to keep moving, to always be ahead of the three behind her. Leaves and sticky brambles had managed to wedge themselves into her fur as her legs pumped back and forth furiously.

Didn't these three have something better to do then chase her down?

As she skirted around another large tree, her red eyes widened as a high pitch yelp forced its way out of her throat. One of the three had thrown senbon needles towards her, and two had found their intended target.

Her ears flicked back as she heard laughter from the ' _three musketeers_ ' that she had deemed in her head.

Panting, the she-wolf looked around desperately for a place to hide. She spotted a small hole under a collection of tree roots, and scrabbled to get under them. Insects buzzed in the wolf's face and she snapped at the flying intruders in irritation.

Lying her head on her paws, Mori flicked her ears back and forth, trying to listen for the three ever faithful pursuers. She tried her best to situate her now injured leg, but just managed to move it out a bit before it violently protested.

Mori felt sick to her stomach: first her side and back, now her leg.

What next?

A tiny voice in her head yelled at her to give up, to not run anymore. With a low growl, Mori quashed that voice. She wouldn't go back there. She couldn't go back. After those long, cold and viscous years she spent in captivity, Mori vowed not to go back there ever.

Those people were nothing but pathetic insects that hid behind chains, whips and talk.

Her lips pulled back in a silent snarl as she refused to reminisce about her past. The bushes beside her small hide-a-way moved back as the three musketeers made their entrance.

"I could have sworn she went this way!" one said, his high nasal voice causing Mori's hackles to rise in disgust.

"She can't be far. Those needles hit I know it!" the other said.

Mori bit back a whine as she accidentally moved her injured leg. The two needles had embedded themselves deep, and Mori wasn't sure if her leg was broken as a result.

Her ear twitched as she heard the three argue among themselves.

If she made a break for it, she could potentially get a head-start towards her intended place. Then again, she could be caught in a trap and become a senbon pincushion. No, she had to get out of there. The three idiots weren't going anywhere anytime soon.

She must act now!

Willing her muscles to move with a desperate plea, Mori burst from her spot under the three pursuers and with the last spout of chakra that she had, willed her paws to move fast. Shouts of surprise and protest sounded behind the she-wolf as she weaved in and out of the trees.

Mori could feel her stamina fading fast, and her heart began to sink as the sounds of the three musketeers were steadily becoming closer.

Wait...what was that?

A glimmer of something caught the fleeing wolf's eye. Shifting her eyes, Mori then caught the unmistakable scent.

Water!

This could be her big break once and for all. She then swerved and raced with a new burst of energy to the sound of rushing water. As she broke through the cover of the trees, her eyes came upon a river with a waterfall at the end. Even though she couldn't swim very well, Mori had to take a chance.

A new pain jolted her out of her revere as more senbon embedded themselves into her already injured leg, rendering it useless. Mori took off again and lept into the water as the three musketeers broke through the foliage.

The cold water shocked the she-wolf, and she paddled enough to pull her head out of the water before the waves rushed over her head. Mori swirled helplessly through the current, until something in her mind told her to relax and trust the chilling waters. Her limbs slackened, and Mori finally let the current take her battered and injured body to safety.

Her body flopped down the waterfall and crashed into the bottom with a mighty ' _splash_ '.

She didn't care anymore.

The pain was too much to handle for the she-wolf, and her mind succumbed to the comforting darkness.

Little did she know that the currents gently carried her broken body to a shady area. Rocks jutted out of the water, but were smoothed down until they were flat by the constant running water and wind. Tree roots were hanging down from the cliff above to get the lifesaving water.

The water currents had indeed saved Mori's life, and deposited her unconscious body onto the smooth rocks. Her head lolled onto another smooth rock and out of the water as her exposed side rose and fell shakily.

The water had saved her, and she was one step closer to being free.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys here is the third instalment of the story :) Review, follow or favourite! As usual I don't own Naruto.**

A bird was resting it's little wings on a tree branch, enjoying the gentle breeze that made the branch sway back and forth. It's beady black eyes blinked in the sunlight as shadows were cast by the tree canopy.

Ruffling it's feathers, the bird glanced down towards the waterfall and chirped in surprise.

A white wolf-well the bird assumed it was white-body was lying on the rocks below, its body covered with scratches, gauges, needles and dirt. The bird ruffled it's feathers again before making a quick decision to check it out.

Flapping it's wings, the small bird took off and flew down to the wet rocks below. It's tiny feet clutched at the rock as it stared at the wolf. Close up, the bird could see the wolf's sides rise and fall shakily.

A violent twitch came from the wolf, startling the poor bird and causing it to fly back to its tree in safety.

The bird ruffled it's feathers as it watched the white wolf slowly lift its head and gaze blearily around. With the twitch of it's small wings, the bird took off, deciding that there'd be safer trees to be in.

Mori slowly blinked her red eyes and looked at her surroundings before laying her head back on the smooth rock and closing her eyes. Everything hurt, and to Mori it was a miracle that she was even still alive. The sound of the waterfall crashing into the deep pool below and the wind blowing through the trees assaulted her ears, making them twitch.

Opening her eyes again, she willed what little strength she had to place her paws underneath her and lift up. Her limbs shook uncontrollably as her body rose up, pain racing up and down her spine.

Her lips pulled back in a silent snarl as Mori held her senbon-riddled leg up in pain. Those had to come out, but she was in too much pain to pull them out herself.

Slowly, she pulled herself out of the water and with one paw in front of the other, picked her way out of the pool. Her three working paws slipped on some of the rocks, but she managed to get out of the rocks safely. Limping, Mori slowly walked into the shadow of the trees, her breath coming out in pants and gasps.

A noise suddenly caught her attention, and Mori's head shot up despite the pain she was in.

"A child..?" Mori thought in confusion as more screaming came from deeper in the woods.

Her ears swivelled back and forth. Yes, it was a child who was screaming much to Mori's confusion. She was in pain, but Mori wanted to check out the screaming child. Continuing to limp towards the sound, she carefully made her way through the foliage until she came upon a clearing.

A child was indeed screaming, but instead of screaming in fear like Mori had assumed, the child was screaming in anger and frustration.

Upon a closer look, the child-a boy dressed like a giant orange-was tied by his foot and hanging by his legs from a tree. Tilting her head in confusion, Mori's legs gave out and her body crashed to the ground with an audible _"whump"_. White hot pain raced up and down her spine as her eyes closed, whimpering quietly.

A rustle directly in front of her caused Mori to automatically leap to her feet, a deep growl vibrating from her chest as her teeth gleamed in the sunlight with her hackles raised.

Her mind swirled in pain as her ears pinned back against her head, her teeth still bared in a warning to whoever to stay away.

"Mori?" a smooth voice questioned as it pierced through the pain-filled fog in her mind.

"Hey Kakashi-sensei! I'm not finished with you! Let me down so I can beat you! Believe it!" the orange-clad child shouted from behind.

"Quiet Naruto!" the voice in front of the child scolded as Mori snarled and tried to move deeper into the foliage.

"Mori, what did you do to yourself?" the voice questioned again.

Mori's mind began to clear as her brain recognized the voice that belonged to the person still standing in front of her. Her hackles lowered slightly, but the growling continued. Her ear twitched slightly as a sigh sounded from the stranger in front of her.

That one sigh caused Mori's growling to stop immediately as her brain finally connected the voice to a face.

Kakashi Hatake, your good friend, was standing right in front of you. Finally, you had found some good luck.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey everyone here is chapter four of Teardrop of the Wolf. I want to say thank-you to briannadavis, KumorikoKumoriko and Arianna Le Fay for following my story, and Arianna Le Fay for favouring :) You guys put a smile on my face when I saw the notifications. This chapter is a thank-you to you lovelies! As usual, I don't own Naruto.**

Kakashi knelt down in front of Mori, keeping in mind to move slowly so that he wouldn't startle the injured she-wolf.

"Quiet Naruto!" the Jonin demanded as he noticed Mori's hackles raise again as Naruto's voice kept piercing through the air.

The child huffed, but kept silent. Mori's growl slowly subsided much to the Jonin's pleasure, and Kakashi took the opportunity to slowly extend his hand in order for Mori to fully get his scent. The she-wolf's nostrils flared, and slowly and painfully Mori sat back on her haunches.

"Kakashi, it's been a while" a smooth and warm voice sounded from the she-wolf's maw.

"It has. Now, what did you do to yourself?" Kakashi sighed as he stood back up, running a hand through his gravity-defying hair.

Mori snorted as her tail twitched. Kneeling down, Kakashi inspected his friend's injuries. The worst seemed to be the senbon needles that were embedded in her back leg, while the rest were scratches, gauges and branches that dotted the white fur.

Mori eased herself onto her stomach and rested her head on her front paws and closed her eyes, allowing Kakashi access to the needles.

This was going to hurt, but Mori just wanted those blasted things out.

Swiftly, Kakashi pulled each senbon out, causing Mori to release a large yelp. Finally they were out, and glittered dangerously in the sunlight.

"There, that's better. I can see that you're already healing those gauges yourself" Kakashi said, standing back up again.

Indeed, Kakashi was right; Mori's chakra was working to heal the gauges. It wasn't enough to completely heal, but the gauges would be healed enough to the point where they were bruises. Her back leg tingled as her nerves began firing again without the needles, causing her muscles to twitch.

"Now, back to the training" the Jonin hummed to himself as he walked back to the upside-down orange child.

"Hey, hey! Kakashi-sensei! Who's the dog? Is it yours?" Naruto asked in a rush, still hanging from his feet.

"That's a wolf Naruto, and no she's just a friend" Kakashi said, whipping out his precious book.

A rustle caused Mori's ear to twitch as multiple shurikan whizzed past and hit the Jonin, causing his body to fly through the air. Mori's eyes opened briefly, but closed again when she noticed her friend was safely in the tree.

Interesting use of weapons considering Kakashi was training a genin team. Her ears twitched again as the child-Naruto-shouted at his teammate, most likely the one who threw the shurikan.

Excellent aim as well.

More rustling came from the trees above with a piercing shriek or two echoing through the air. Sighing, Mori settled her head on her paws for a nap as the sun shone on her fur.

"Hey, hey! Doggie! Can you get me down from here? Doggie? Hey!" Naruto stage whispered.

Mori opened her eyes and raised her head, directing her red eyes towards the hanging child.

"Come on! I'll give you a treat!" the child continued, causing Mori to snort and laid her head back down onto her paws.

"Fine, I'll do it myself then! Believe it!" Naruto said, and cut himself down with a kunai knife.

"Hehe, I'll eat my lunch before the timer! Kakashi-sensei won't be able to catch me then!" the child giggled to himself as he sat down behind the K.I.A stone.

 _"I wouldn't do that"_ Mori though to herself as she opened one eye to see where this would go.

Just as she thought, Kakashi had caught Naruto, and tied him to the post. Mori's ear twitched as a timer bell rang loudly, and the rest of the genin team came back, distraught that they didn't get a bell.

Mori raised her head and opened her other eye, ears perked in interest as Kakashi lectured his genin team. Her tongue lolled out of her mouth as she watched the important point of teamwork being driven into the children's heads.

A sudden itch behind her ear claimed her attention, and she got to work to satisfy the itch. Using her raspy tongue as a comb, Mori set to work to tame her white fur.

A sudden thunderclap sounded, and Mori turned her attention towards the terrified team.

 _"Kakashi and his theatrics"_ Mori thought dryly.

 _"3..2..1"_ Mori thought, and right on cue Kakashi revealed to his genin their fate.

Her red eyes opened wide in surprise as he told his genin team that they had passed. This had never happened. Her head tilted in surprise and wonder.

Well, this is going to be interesting.

"Mori, could you come here please" Kakashi raised his voice as his single eye found her red optics.

She rose slowly and padded towards the group. Her back leg was still a little numb, but she could put weight on it. She walked towards the group, mindful of three pairs of eyes staring at her.

"Hey Kakashi-sensei, who is that dog?" a girl with pink hair asked, and Mori swished her tail in agitation.

"I am not a dog, child. I am in fact a wolf" Mori said in a soft growl, and the genin reacted in surprise.

"Hey! I-i-it talked!?" the pink girl squeaked loudly, causing Mori's ears to pin back in annoyance.

These genin have a long way to go if they are shocked to see and hear a talking wolf.

Kakashi cleared his throat, claiming his genin's attention.

"Mori will help in training and will be with us for some of our missions" Kakashi said, placing a hand on Mori's head, much to the she-wolf's displeasure.


	5. Chapter 5

**Here is chapter 5. Also, good news with the mom in regards to her surgery. Her lymph nodes came back negative and the tumour was small. The tumour is estrogen positive so she will have to be on a certain medication for a long time. It's a much better prognosis then we had originally thought. Thank you to rockobrocko for becoming the newest follower to this fanfiction. I hope this fanfiction lives up to your expectations. I don't own Naruto. Also, please let me know if my story needs any detail, or if I start to make the original characters too OOC. Enjoy everyone :)**

Mori curled her top lip in displeasure as Kakashi kept his hand on her head.

"I would raise your hand if I were you" Mori grumbled, causing the Jonin to reclaim his hand with a light chuckle.

Kakashi continued to talk to his young team of genin about the importance of teamwork, and Mori's mind began to wander. How many years has it been since she had seen her mother or any of her pack mates?

Too long.

It had been too long since she had laid eyes on her mother's beautiful grey and white coat, or her father's coal-black fur with a blue tint when in the sunlight. Her ears swivelled as birds continued to chirp in the afternoon sunlight.

She then turned her red gaze on each genin, evaluating them each. Each had their own strengths and weaknesses, and each would excell in their own ways; that she could feel with her entire being.

Soon, Kakashi released his new team with a promise of a mission starting the next day. Each member walked off except Naruto who remained tied to the wooden post. Mori gave a throaty chuckle and bit through the ropes that restrained the loud child, and padded into the shadow of the trees.

Mori grumbled as she shook her fur out, sending twigs and leaves flying in different directions. She needed a proper bath in a proper bathhouse, and not unconscious in the bottom of a chilling waterfall.

Although, a bath house wouldn't approve of Mori bathing in her wolf form and would likely kick her out.

She hadn't been in her human form in quite some time, and allowing her human legs to get out and excercise would be nice. Making sure no one was following her, Mori closed her eyes and probed deep into her soul until she found a different chakra. This one was human in nature, and she let it flow through the restraints Mori had put on it in order to stay in her wolf form.

Blue chakra began to appear, and wrapped around Mori's body until it was impossible to see Mori. The process felt as effortlessly as sneezing, and soon a woman stepped out of the bushes.

Her short white hair bobbed with each step she took, and she reached up to pluck out a stay twig from her white locks. Some stray locks of hair hung over her left eye, and she brushed them away impatiently.

She straightened her grey tank-top and tucked the bottom into her black knee-length leggings. Her feet were strapped to leather sandals, even though she preferred to walk bare-foot but society frowned upon that. Black armbands ran the entire length of her forearms as she walked towards the village's bath house.

Her red eyes gazed around the village, taking in the sights as she went. It felt good to walk on two legs, and soon she found her intended target. She paid the attendant there, and quickly stripped and wrapped a towel around her body, stepping out into the bath area with a smile.

A sigh rose from her lips as her foot gently touched the hot water, and she lowered herself in after removing the towel.

The warmth soothed her tired and sore muscles, and at last she allowed herself to relax. Closing her eyes, she leaned her head against the rocky ledge as the bath water worked its magic.

No one was chasing her to bring her back to that place. She wouldn't go back there.

 _But..._

Her mother was still there. Her mother had helped Mori to escape that dreaded hell, but now Mori didn't know how her mother was. They had come, and when her pack tried to fight back they slaughtered them without mercy. Men, women and children...they were all slaughtered.

They had kept herself, her mother, father and brother alive and found numerous ways to torture them...all for that snake. That man, Orochimaru, had numerous torture methods for her little family.

Her father, who was the strongest person and wolf in her eyes, had perished when he had tried to go up against Orochimaru. She had no idea where her brother was, or if he was even alive. Her mother had created a small opening in their cage, big enough for Mori to squeeze through.

That was the last she saw of her mother and brother.


	6. Chapter 6

**Here is chapter six, and I must admit I am a little disappointed with the review count. Only two reviews on the first chapter and that was it. I appreciate the readers who have followed and favourited, but it would also help me greatly if you reviewed. It will help me to either correct my writing, give more detail or less detail, and if you are in fact enjoying what I've written. Thank you to White chocolate cheesecake (love the name xD it made me crave cheesecake), shadowwolf88 and wolfmoon30 for becoming new followers. Thank you also to wolfmoon30, sierra halle and shadowwolf88 for favouring my fanfiction. As usual I don't own Naruto, just my OCs. Review please!**

Mori sighed and leaned her head back against the rocks. Her red eyes opened slowly and stared at the sky, the sound of water trickling and birds chirping filling her ears.

She lifted her head off the edge of the pool, and picked up the small shampoo bottle she had purchased from the attendant before entering the pool.

She poured a small amount and lathered her hair, using her nails to dig the cleaning liquid into her scalp. Even though her scalp prickled, Mori continued with her scrubbing. She couldn't remember the last time she had taken a bath with hot water.

Her captors threw buckets of ice-cold water on her through the bars of her cell when Mori was unconscious from time to time, but that did not count. Those goons would then drag her from her cell to where ever that snake-man was.

It was that, or his ' _left hand man_ ' Kabuto.

That boy was one sick pup who had free reign of all of Orochimaru's experiments.

Mori felt her lip curl up in a silent snarl as she grabbed a bucket to rinse her hair out, trying to shake those memories free from her mind. She slowly waded her way out of the pool and got dressed, her spirits being lifted from her deep clean.

As she got dressed, her stomach began to make it's requests known rather loudly.

After saying her farewell to the attendant, she walked to the Konoha market, looking at the different food vendors and what they had to offer. She did not have much money left, but thanks to her mother saving her remaining money for her daughter to survive, she had enough for a bag of apples.

It wasn't much, but it would have to do. She preferred hunting for a meal in the forest instead, but with those goons looking out for her it would be best to stay in the village.

"Well someone cleaned up nicely" a voice said from behind her.

Turning, Mori noticed Kakashi looking at her with a smile, his arm full of groceries. She nodded and retrieved her purchase from the vendor with a quiet ' _thanks_ '.

"Indeed, it has been a long time since I felt hot water" Mori murmured, and began walking towards one of the many practice fields that dotted Konoha.

Kakashi began walking with Mori, the two walking in a comfortable silent. Mori's attention was centered on getting back to the forest and reverting back to the white wolf, and Kakashi could sense that.

Stopping on the edge of the training field, Mori took out an apple and bit into it, enjoying the rush of sweetness that accompanied the fruit.

"The Hokage would like to see you tomorrow" Kakashi said, before turning and setting off.

He did not have to see if his long time friend had heard him; he knew Mori would be at the Hokage's building tomorrow. He had known Mori for a long time, since he had become Jonin and relied on the she-wolf for anything.

Hearing Kakashi's footsteps fade in the distance, Mori finished her fruit and walked to the middle of the field, calling upon her wolf chakra at the same time. To the normal person, she would appear to be human in one instant, and the next a white wolf.

If her transformation was slowed down to the point where the naked eye could follow, they would notice her skin split down the middle as her nose and mouth elongated into a snout and maw. White fur sprouted from her pores, and her human ears became pointed and moved to the top of her head.

Her tailbone elongated into a tail, and her fingers phased together to pads on her paws. Her fingernails turned black and sharpened to points, while her canines lengthened to razor sharp points.

Mori shook out her fur as a fury of smells assaulted her nose. Compared to a wolf's nose, a human's nose was nothing. Lifting her head, she released a happy howl that scared some birds from a nearby tree.

She could finally relax and not have to worry about hiding, or if her captors were coming to bring her to Orochimaru or Kabuto.

Her howl tapered off in the end as she dashed into the trees, her tongue lolling out of her mouth as she took in the scents of the forest. Small animals darted away from her paws in fear as she dashed about, happy and relieved to be clean and safe.

Coming to a stop, Mori cocked her ears, listening intently for prey. Hearing nothing, Mori shook her fur again and padded towards the sound of a bubbling stream. There were a bunch of rocks that jutted out of the ground nearby and she padded her way towards it. A large tree had branches that were hanging over the top of the rocks that created a leafy roof. Using her back legs, Mori sprang up on top of the rocks and settled under the branches, laying her head on top of her front paws.

She glanced up as a bird flew by, chasing and shrieking to another larger bird to stay away from it's nest. The sky became streaked with red and purple as the sun began to set, and Mori felt weariness pulling at her body. She could finally have a peaceful and dry sleep.

Looking up at the dusk-kissed sky, Mori released one more howl before settling back down on her paws for the night.

 _"Mother...Hideo...I will find you and save you!"_


	7. Chapter 7

**I apologize for the disappearance. My mother is having a tough time with chemo, and school is throwing everything at me. This chapter is a glimpse into Mori's life when she was a pup. Enjoy!**

Dawn came with the sound of birds chirping loudly, singing their morning songs to each other. The sun peaked over the horizon, and stretched her fingers of orange and red into the sky to chase the deep blues of night away.

Mori cracked one eye open as a sparrow fluttered by, a worm dangling from its beak. Watching the small bird with its meal made Mori's stomach churn from hunger. Getting slowly to her feet, Mori stretched languorously as the sun continued its vertical trek. Today she would help Kakashi and his new team with missions, and help them she would.

Padding down the rocks, she took a quick lap at the river, and went in search of breakfast. That meal came in the form of a fat unsuspecting rabbit that was caught mid-chew beside a low hanging bush. Within minutes Mori had finished her meal, leaving only gleaming bones. She lifted her head to the ever-brightening sky and howled.

She howled about her successful hunt, the way her parents had taught her when she was a pup. They always howled after a hunt. They howled to proclaim how successful they were at hunting, how strong the pack was and also thanking their prey for giving their life for the pack.

One life ends to sustain another.

Shaking out her fur, Mori began her journey to where the team would meet that very morning. As she padded through the underbrush, her mind began to wander.

In her minds eye, she was a young pup again.

Her coat was snow white, and her tail constantly wagged as she played with some of the pack members. Her mother and father, the alpha pair, led a pack of 10 wolves strong and to Mori, they were the strongest wolves ever. She always regarded them with wide, red eyes as they came back from a hunt, howling and yipping with happiness. Her older brother, Hideo, contrasted his sibling in that his coat was a deep blueish black.

With black eyes always twinkling, Hideo always pushed his sister around. If it wasn't biting her ears or tail it was wrestling and proving to her how much stronger and heavier he was. Mori hated him, and was sure he hated her...until that day.

That day, Mori knew Hideo cared for his younger sibling.

It started off as a day unlike any other: calm, sunny and warm. Mori's mother was napping at the edge of the den, a hole in the soil with an upturned tree to give further protection. Mori poked her head out of the den, tongue lolling out happily.

Today would be the day! She would finally explore and be a true alpha bitch!

She wasn't some blind, pathetic and defenceless pup; she was the daughter of the alpha pair!

Mori quietly padded by her snoozing mother, a gorgeous white wolf with grey patches throughout her fur. Looking back to make sure her mother was still asleep, Mori then sprang into action, running through the trees as fast as her overly large paws would take her.

She had come this way many times with her parents, but as soon as she started to investigate a different scent or try and explore, her mother would grab her by the scruff of the neck and bring her back to the den.

Zipping through the trees, Mori soon got lost, and halted in her tracks. Panting, she tried to find something familiar but found nothing. Sitting on her haunches, Mori let out a pathetic whimper that tapered into a howl, hoping someone would hear her.

A twig snapped behind her, and Mori whirled around. Her tail began to wag until an unknown scent hit her, causing her nose to scrunch. A deep laughter resonated through the trees, and Mori bared her teeth, trying to growl ferociously but only succeeding to give a squeak.

A man, a giant to Miro, thundered out of the bush and towards the still growling Miro.

"Dog! Haven't had me some dog in a long time! Ah well, even if it's just a wee thing" the man laughed, and faster then Mori anticipated, grabbed her by the scruff of the neck.

Mori let out a loud and terrifying squeal as the man shook her, her tail tucking itself between her legs in fear. The man laughed again and brought his free hand up to her neck.

Mori's eyes widened in fear and realization: he was going to snap her neck! She was going to die here!

A deep growl sounded from beside the man and a dark shape jumped at the two, snarls echoing from its jaws as it latched onto the man's free hand. Letting out a yell, the man dropped Mori, and the young pup scrambled to hide behind a tree root.

Howls sounded from all around them as she watched Hideo, the brother she thought hated her, tear through the man's hand. A loud snarl echoed through the trees as the alpha pair came.

One look at the man with Hideo hanging off his hand and the alpha bitch launched herself at the man, biting deep into his throat.

You never got between a mother and her pups, and this man did just that.

The man's scream ended suddenly as his blood spilled on the forest floor as the alpha male went for the man's leg. The rest of the pack came seconds after, and soon all that was left of the man was shreds of clothes, blood and an unrecognizable body left to rot. The alpha pair lifted their heads and howled into the sky with the pack following, telling the world of their victory.

'Don't touch our pups or we will kill you' the howl said.

Hideo, blood splattered on his fur, padded over to his shivering sister and nuzzled her cheek. Their mother finally spotted her pups and walked over, chuffing affectionately in her daughters ear.

Gently, she picked up Mori by the scruff of the neck and began the venture home, the pack and her mate and son following behind. Finally they had reached the den, and as soon as Mori's mother put her down Mori curled into a ball, resembling a snowball in a way. Her mother laid down beside her daughter, and Mori inched her way to her mother's warm side. Her mother's rough tongue combed through her daughter's fur, until each strand of white fur was sticking up.

Hideo came padding in just as the sun began to set, and settled in beside his sister. He gave his sister's side a few reassuring licks, causing Mori's eyes to widen.

He did care about her!

Mori's tail wagged slightly as her brother rested his chin on her back. Looking down, the alpha bitch made sure her two pups were safe and snuggled down in the throes of sleep as her mate, the alpha male, stretched his body along the edge of the den.

Her mate was a handsome and strong wolf, with brown fur with strips of gold and black racing through his fur. Sighing, the alpha female laid her head down on her paws while looking at her handsome mate.

"Katsu, we have to move the den" the alpha female murmured quietly as she lifted her head to gaze lovingly at her sleeping pups.

A deep sigh echoed through the small den as her mate turned his black eyes on his mate.

"I am aware of this, Akemi" her mate rumbled, his black eyes meeting the red eyes of his mate.

"We will speak of this in the morning" Katsu stated as he rested his head on his paws, closing his eyes for the night.

Akemi as well rested her head on her paws, but not before giving one last lick on both her pup's heads.


	8. Chapter 8

**Here is the next instalment! I hope everyone enjoys. As usual, I don't own Naruto.**

Padding through the forest, Mori snapped absentmindedly at a dragonfly that buzzed by. She knew she had to see the Hokage, and hoped this meeting wouldn't take long. She heaved a sigh and reached for her human chakra inside, beginning the transformation.

Wolf pads split into human fingers, muzzle turned into a human nose and canines turned dull. Opening her red eyes, Mori brushed off some spare leafs off her shirt and continued on her way.

Her hair blew slightly as a warm wind blew as she passed through the village; the sounds of village life filtering through her ears. The sounds put the young woman at ease, and a small smile filtered over her face. A young family passed her by, and Mori watched with a small smile as the mother and father swung their child in between them; the child's laughter ringing out.

Finally, Mori came to the Hokage's building. As she walked through the hallway, yelling could be heard from the Hokage's office. Knocking on the door, Mori opened it when she heard an ' _enter!'_ and walked in.

Blinking, she noticed Kakashi and Team 7 in front of the Hokage, Naruto scowling like a child. Kakashi sighed from his genin's actions, scratching the back of his head.

Mori took a couple steps forward and bowed, murmuring a greeting to the Hokage.

"Ah, I'm glad you came" the Hokage said, smoke drifting up from his pipe.

"It is my pleasure, Lord Hokage" Mori said as she straightened back up, nodding to Kakashi who nodded back.

"Huh? Who're you?" Naruto said, blinking up at Mori.

Smiling slightly, Mori lowered her gaze to the orange-clad child. Of course he wouldn't know who she was; he had only seen her in wolf form.

"Naruto, you would know Mori as the wolf from before" Kakashi said, his one visible eye crinkling in a smile.

"WHAT!?" Naruto and Sakura shouted in unison, staring at Mori in disbelief.

"But..how..what..who" Naruto began, trying to match the facts together but failing.

"But Kakashi-sensei, that's impossible!" Sakura began, but Mori interrupted.

"I have two chakras within me, and both allow me to change forms whenever I wish" she said calmly, resting her gaze on the pink haired ninja.

"If I may" the Hokage said, and Mori turned her gaze towards the elderly man.

"My apologies" Mori said, and the Hokage nodded.

"You will be protecting someone and escorting them to their homeland" the Hokage stated, causing Naruto to perk up.

"Who? Who? A princess?" he asked excitedly and before long the escort was brought in.

Even without being in wolf-form could Mori tell this person was a drinker. Alcohol came off in waves from the man's body, and Mori was certain he would tip over.

Grunting, the man wiped his mouth clean from the alcohol, and Mori fought back a sneer of disgust.

As soon as he opened his mouth, the man began insulting Team 7.

"I am Tazuna, master bridge builder. I need powerful ninja to protect my life, and I get put with these measly brats?" he groused.

Red eyes narrowed as the man, Tazuna, continued going on about how Team 7 would not be able protect him. Biting back a growl Mori took a step forward, intending on defending the young team.

The pups didn't even get a chance to prove themselves, and here was this alcoholic whelp of a man insulting them!

Mori opened her mouth to retort, but Naruto beat her to it.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" he shouted and lunged for the man, but was held back by Kakashi.

Mori blinked, taken back. Naruto had the courage of an alpha male; that was for sure. Smiling, Mori followed the team as they walked out of the village. Falling to the back of the group Mori glanced around, already wary.

If this man was as important as he said he was, then people would be after him.

Mori took a breath, searching for her wolf-chakra deep inside and pulled it out. Fingers fused into pads, and a bushy tail sprung out. In a blink, a white she-wolf stood in human-Mori's place. Ears twitching, Mori padded silently away into the foliage.

She caught Kakashi's eye, and the Jonin gave a small nod. Mori would be going along the forest as the team took to the road.

An unknown scent floated through the foliage, and Mori lifted her muzzle to scent the breeze. A silent snarl etched itself on her muzzle as Mori stalked throughout the bushes on silent paws.

' _So, they are already here_ ' she thought gravely as she followed her nose.

The scent weaved through the trees and onto the main road. Mori's eyes narrowed as she sat on her haunches, ears twitching. As the team and Tazuna walked passed a puddle, Kakashi stole a glance at it before continuing on the way. Mori knew that Kakashi realized the puddle was not what it seemed.

Muscles under white fur bunched as two men flowed out of the puddle, evil oozing from them. Chains suddenly shot from their claws and wrapped around Kakashi, surprising everyone. Before anyone could do anything, the two men pulled the chains taunt, slicing Kakashi into pieces.

Ears pinned back in disgust, Mori turned her heard slightly when Kakashi appeared behind her in the trees.

"Was that necessary?" Mori grumbled quietly in order to not give their position away.

All she got was a one-eyed smile in return. A shocked gasp caught the she-wolf's attention, and her head snapped around when the two enemy ninja appeared behind Naruto.

A snarl exploded from her muzzle as Mori leapt from the bushes, the intent to kill etched in her red eyes as the smell of blood came from Naruto, who was frozen in fear.

Her paws landed on the back of one of the ninja; his cry of surprise echoing in her ears as her claws pierced his clothes. Mori then leapt off the enemy and stood in front of the frozen Naruto, fur bristling and teeth bared with a deep growl rumbling from her chest.

No one was touching the pups, not on this she-wolf's watch!


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you to TaraUzumaki and jeancampos147 for favouring this story, and to jeancampos147, koreanlover21873 and RoseHana for following! It gives me the best feeling when I see someone has favourited or followed my stories :) This chapter is for you lovely people!**

Sakura let out a gasp as Mori continued growling, fur bristling. The ninja Mori had attacked got up, grunting as he fixed his metal claws. Mori snapped her jaws at him, daring him to come closer to the pups.

The need to protect was flowing through the she-wolf's veins, and Mori would protect the pups with her life. The one with the metal claws came at them again, and Mori braced her limbs. A shuriken suddenly flew through the air and snagged the edge of the chain, pinning ' _Metal-Claws_ ' as Mori dubbed him to a tree. Taking a brief glance around, Mori saw Sasuke was the one who threw the weapon.

 _"Good aim"_ she thought to herself.

Mori curled her lip up before leaping on the pinned ninja, grasping his wrist in her jaws. Her claws raked down the ninjas back, and a choked sound came from his masked face.

A growl vibrated through the white wolf as she tugged on his wrist, fully intending on ripping the limb off.

Like a regular wolf pack, the pups were viciously protected, and if someone or something injured a pup, the wolf pack would destroy whoever injured their pups. To Mori, she already decided Team 7 was part of her pack; the genin being the pups. The metal-clad ninja had injured one of the pups, so Mori had to destroy them.

Another choked yelp sounded nearby, causing Mori's ears to twitch. Kakashi's scent flowed in her nostrils, and Mori raised her head.

So, Kakashi had taken care of the other metal-clad ninja. Snorting, Mori delivered one more bite to the enemy's wrist, earning her a cry of pain from her prey. She padded back to Naruto as Kakashi secured both ninja to a tree. Sitting back on her haunches, Mori gazed at them as Kakashi interrogated the ninja.

The scent of blood filtered through her nose, and she looked to the orange-clad child. One of the claws from the ninja had pierced his hand, and blood was flowing freely. A whine came from the she-wolf as she rubbed her head against Naruto's side, almost knocking the genin over. Kakashi came over to Naruto, kneeling down to his level and taking hold of his injured hand.

Growling softly, Mori's tail twitched against the ground as Naruto went on a spiel about his weakness. She scratched an irritating itch behind her ear as Kakashi scared the genin, insisting that if he didn't stop the bleeding he would die.

As the Jonin wrapped the genin's hand, Mori's red eyes bore into the bridge builder. So, he was being targeted.

Finally, Kakashi had the team continue their mission. She padded over to the bound enemy ninja, who watched her warily. Her red eyes narrowed and she lunged towards them, snapping her jaws an inch away from their faces. The two shrank back with identical flinches.

"Oh, and I wouldn't get in between a mother and her young" Kakashi said nonchalantly, strolling past Mori's bristling form.

Mori snarled again, before snorting and padding back to the team. Tazuna breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good dog" he gruffed and reached down to pat Mori roughly on the head.

She let out a deep growl, causing the bridge builder to quickly retract his hand. She didn't like the man much from the start, and just because she was furry with four paws did not mean he could pat her on the head like some lapdog.

"Mori, why don't you walk with us?" Kakashi said.

Mori gazed at the Jonin, and heaved a sigh before beginning the transformation from wolf to human. She preferred being the wolf, but also liked walking on two feet. In a matter of a couple seconds, a woman stood in front of them in the place of a wolf.

"Woah! How'd you do that!?" Tazuna shouted.

Mori opened her red eyes and gazed unblinkingly at the older man.

"I always have been able to" she answered, before turning to Naruto.

His large blue eyes had become even wider, having seen the transformation.

"You did well, Naruto" she said gently, placing a hand on his head.

The boy looked at her in awe, and she smiled slightly. He had the wide-eyed wonder of a pup just coming out of the den for the first time.

She ruffled his hair before turned to the other genin.

"Both of you did well too. Sasuke, your aim is excellent. Sakura, you were incredibly brave. It takes a vast amount of courage and bravery to protect someone with your life" Mori said, and Sakura's cheeks turned red in happiness.

Sasuke gave a smirk as well. Kakashi sighed, and finally got his team moving again. Mori walked beside Naruto, her heart becoming lighter as the child threw many questions her way.

He was just like an energetic pup: tail wagging all the time and always getting into mischief. She could sense a power deep inside the child, and in her heart she knew Naruto would become a powerful ninja in the future. Looking back at the other two genin, Mori nodded to herself. Yes, all three would become powerful ninja.

As the team continued walking, fog stared to roll in.

Tazuna flagged down a boat driver, and the team got in. The water lapped at the boat as they slowly and silently made their way through the mist.

Naruto cried out in amazement as the fog lifted, and part of the Village Hidden in the Mist came into view. Mori's red eyes narrowed as the boat driver scolded Naruto, telling him to be quiet. Kakashi then began asking Tazuna questions, but Mori stopped listening as her mind began to wander.

She remembered a time when she had experienced fog for the first time. It was when her pack was attacked by Orochimaru and his sick fiends. Howls, cries and screams echoed through her mind.

"Mori?" a voice broke through her thoughts.

Looking down, she noticed Naruto had been calling her. She gave the young genin a smile, apologizing. They had finally reached the shore, and the boat driver turned on the motor before zooming away.


	10. Chapter 10

**Anyone else obsessed with Outlander? I am! I've just binged watching all of season 1 and now I have to wait for season 2...oh well. Thank you to tabetaisu for following this fanfiction, this chapter is for you!**

An uneasy feeling came over Mori as she pushed a strand of hair away from her face. Something was chewing at the inside of her gut, and it felt as if a badger had taken a hold of her insides, continuously gnawing on them with its sharp teeth. The team and Tazuna were walking down a dirt path, and Mori bit the inside of her lip. Her instincts were screaming at her to do something, but she didn't know what.

They passed along side the water, and Mori's gaze snapped up, ears twitching. Her inner-wolf was howling and snarling furiously. Something or someone was coming. Her lip unconsciously lifted in a silent snarl, and she quickly closed her eyes, reaching inside for the wolf chakra.

As quick as a sneeze, the white wolf stood in her place, ears erect and tail still. A whistling sound came from behind, and Mori's eyes widened in alarm.

"Get down!" Kakashi said, and the team and Tazuna dove to the ground.

A giant sword embedded itself into a tree, level to the genin's heads. Mori's ears pricked when an evil laugh sounded. Her nose twitched, and her red eyes narrowed when she saw a man standing on top of it as if it was nothing. This man had bandages wrapped around his face, and the smell of blood oozed from him in waves.

An orange blur raced across her vision, and her eyes widened in surprise and fear. Naruto was about to charge at the unknown man blindly!

Mori was about to lung after the child, but Kakashi stopped him, reaching for his headband. Well, he was going to use _that._ Kakashi must have known something about this man that everyone else didn't. Her lip rose over her teeth as the man's dead eyes gazed at the team and Tazuna.

No way was he touching the pups and Tazuna...even though she didn't particularly like Tazuna. He was under the team's protection, so Mori would protect him as well. The blood-smelling man disappeared with the giant sword and reappeared on the ground in front of them. Mori planted herself in front of the genin, fur bristled and limbs braced.

A deep growl vibrated from within her chest as she glared at the man, who she heard Kakashi call "Zabuza". Her lip curled inward when he laid his cold dead eyes on her red orbs.

"So, you've brought a pet with you, Kakashi?" he mused, and Mori snapped her jaws at him, snarling.

"No matter. This will be over in a few minutes" he said, and made a hand sign.

Mist began to appear and swirl around the team, separating each genin from each other. Mori's ears twitched, hearing Sasuke's frantic and panicked heartbeats close by. Kakashi calmed his student, and Mori let out a low growl. She lifted her muzzle to the air, scenting the breeze that blew across them. The genin and Tazuna were behind her, Kakashi was to the right of her, and Zabuza was nowhere to be found.

A deep chuckle echoed through the mist beside her, and a kick to her ribs forced a yelp out of her. Her body flew into the water with a ' _splash_ '. Pain radiated from her ribs as she surfaced, gagging and choking on water.

It would likely be easier if she was human in this fight and she briefly closed her eyes, searching for the other chakra within. In a blink of an eye Mori stood on human legs, clothes soaked from the water. She hoped up on top of the water, using her dual chakras to stay on top of the water. An amused noise sounded behind her, and she whirled around to see Zabuza standing on the water behind her.

"So you can change your form" he mused.

He disappeared and Mori tensed, red eyes darting around. She couldn't smell where he went, making her at a disadvantage.

"Mori! Look out!" she heard Naruto cry out.

A burning pain in her arm caused her to cry out as her arm was forced in an unnatural way behind her back. Zabuza gripped her wrist behind her back and pulled at her arm harder, causing another cry to force itself out of her. This caused a sadistic glint to enter Zabuza's eyes as he drank in her cries of pain.

Mori gritted her teeth as fire raced up and down her arm. If he pulled her arm any more, she was sure her entire arm would be ripped off. Using her arm as leverage, he forced her onto her knees in the water.

Zabuza suddenly found himself with a kunai pressed tightly against his throat as he gripped the young woman's wrist tighter.

"This battle is over" he heard Kakashi say behind him.

"Are you alright there, Mori?" Kakashi said, still keeping his eyes on Zabuza.

"I've been better" she forced out, biting her lip against the pain.

A chuckle forced itself out of Zabuza as another Zabuza put a kunai against Kakashi's throat. Before she could blink, the kunai were thrust deep into their intended targets, and everyone's eyes widened when both exploded in a puddle of water. They were both clones.

Her arm was released, and she suppressed a groan as relief flowed through her arm. It flopped down to her side, useless and numb. Mori knew it wasn't broken, but some ligaments were torn. Mori shakily stood up, holding her arm tightly to her side and stumbled out of the water.

How could she fight properly with one arm?


	11. Chapter 11

**Here is the next chapter of the story! I hope everyone enjoys!**

Clutching her injured arm, Mori's red eyes narrowed as she watched her friend and Zabuza circle each other. It felt like two alpha males fighting for territory and the right to rule the pack. These battles sometimes led to the death of the opponent. She bit her lip, watching this confrontation.

Zabuza suddenly created a clone, and as fast as they could blink, the clone appeared in front of Naruto. The clone raised his fist and smacked the child down. A snarl exploded from Mori's chest as she watched the child bounce once and skid on the ground, coming finally to a stop. Her wolf clawed it's way out, the need to protect thrumming through her veins. A curse sounded from behind her as she lunged towards the clone, fangs bared. She would protect the pups with her life.

She caught a brief glance at Kakashi, and her eyes narrowed when she saw that he was trapped in a water circle.

So she would be the one to protect the pups...

Mori leapt to the side as the clone brought down its sword, barely missing her side. Her right front leg was useless, but she still had 3 other useful limbs. A growl rumbled deep from her throat as she glared at the clone. Her ear twitched as she heard Naruto getting to his feet, but she still kept her eyes on the clone. The clone let out an evil cackle, causing Mori's hackles to rise. She snapped her jaws at the clone, daring it to come any closer.

She turned her head to check on the genin as Kakashi shouted at them to run. A shadow loomed over her, and her red eyes widened as the Zabuza clone lunged at her, sword raised. She jumped to the side as the sword swung, but was too slow.

The blade sliced into her side, causing a high pitch yelp to come out. The momentum sent her flying into a tree, and she hit the tree with a loud ' _thud'_. Mori crumpled to the ground, blood gushing from the slice in her side. It felt like fire was racing up and down her side, and a quiet whimper escaped from her throat. Her ear twitched slightly when she heard her name being called, but darkness began to quickly consume her mind.

It was a fuzzy and comforting feeling, and Mori let herself float away into the darkness.

Her leg twitched, bringing her back to consciousness. Her eyes opened slowly, and then widened when reality came crashing back. The genin! Tazuna! She had to protect them!

Lifting her lip in a silent snarl, Mori raised her head. She lifted her 3 useful paws under her body and lifted herself up. Blood continued to drip steadily from her wound, staining her white coat to a deep red. She steadied her limbs and with a snarl, lept at the clone.

Her jaws latched onto the clone's neck, and it exploded with a ' _splash'_. Mori swished her tail in a short moment of victory. Her ear twitched when she heard Sakura call out her name, and she winced when her wound flared.

A ' _clang'_ caught her attention, and she turned her head to see that Kakashi had escaped his water prison. Her eyes widened when she saw Naruto in the water, and connected the dots. A short bark echoed from Mori in a wolfy laugh. Naruto would be a wonderful alpha one day.

She limped heavily towards Sakura, Sasuke and Tazuna as the battle with Kakashi and Zabuza continued.

"Are you alright?" Mori asked, panting from the pain.

Sakura nodded and hurried to her side, green eyes bright with worry.

"We're okay! Naruto had a good plan to get Kakashi-sensei free, and it worked! Are you okay Mori? It looks pretty bad" Sakura said as she knelt down to look at Mori's wound.

"I'm fine, child" she rumbled, and sat down heavily.

Her side flared, and she bit back a whimper. It felt like lava was being poured into her side. A roar suddenly sounded, and Mori's gaze snapped up. Her red eyes widened when a wall of water was rushing towards them. In a blink of an eye she shifted back to a human and flung her arms around Sasuke and Sakura, shielding the genin from the cold water. The current slammed into her back, and she let out a small cry as the water tugged at her injured arm and wounded side.

When the current weakened, she fell to her knees, her energy and adrenaline depleted. Her side flared again, and she pressed a hand to her wound with a hiss.

"Mori!" Sakura cried as she knelt down beside Mori.

"I'm okay Sakura, just tired that's all" she said with a weak smile.

"No that's not it at all! You're really injured!" the young girl said stubbornly.

Mori gave her a small smile. Just as stubborn as a pup. Her train of thought was interrupted when a yell of pain echoed through the clearing. Turning her head, she blinked when she saw Zabuza pinned to a tree with multiple kunai. A silent snarl etched on her lips when her leg tingled with the memory of being a personal pin cushion. As soon as Kakashi was about to deliver the killing blow, a whistling sound suddenly sounded. Mori's eyes widened when Zabuza was embedded with senbon needles.

A growl rumbled from her chest when she looked around the trees. She shakily stood up, placing herself in front of the genin and Tazuna. The wolf inside of her snarled. Even though she was injured, she could still fight to protect them.

She looked into the trees and blinked in surprise. A boy no older then the genin was standing there in the trees. Another flare of pain caused Mori to flinch and press a hand to her side. Panting lightly, she leaned her body against a tree as her vision began to spin. Blinking rapidly, Mori looked up when the boy, along with Zabuza's body, disappeared in a whirl of leaves.

Mori gazed down at her hand when she lifted it, barely blinking when her hand came away wet with her blood. She ripped the hem of her shirt and tied it slowly around her waist. It was difficult to staunch a wound with one hand, but she managed.

"Kakashi-sensei!" she heard Naruto shout, and her gaze snapped up.

She heaved a sigh when she saw her friend lying on the ground, unconscious.

"That's what happens when you use the sharingan for long periods of time" Mori muttered.


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank you to everyone who has read the product of my imagination going wild! As usual, I don't own Naruto.**

Sunlight streamed through the small house as Kakashi woke up. Groggily he opened his one visible eye and looked around, not familiar with his surroundings. A small sound caught his attention, and the Jonin looked to the side.

Apparently he had acquired a furry roommate.

Mori was curled up as a wolf in the corner in a large white ball, her tail lying across her nose. Her muzzle rested on her front paws, and a large bandage wrapped around her side. Her tail twitched away from her face, and her red eyes opened. Mori's red optics connected with Kakashi's black one as the Jonin sat up slowly, wincing from the pain of the previous battle.

"I guess I took it too far" he murmured, causing Mori to snort.

The wooden door slid open, and a young woman came in. She walked around Kakashi, scolding him as she went. Mori kept her eyes open, following the woman as she walked around. Tsunami was a good woman, and surprisingly was the daughter of Tazuna. She had taken care of everyone when the small group had stumbled into her home.

Mori had remained human until Tsunami set her arm properly. The immense pain caused Mori to change to the wolf as an impulse. The pain had finally caught up to her and Mori promptly fell asleep, allowing Tsunami to tend to her side. Luckily, it was a clean cut and could be mended easily.

A noise caught her attention, and Mori's ears twitched. She lifted her head as the genin popped their heads in, sighing in relief when they saw Kakashi awake. Mori lifted herself up and padded over to the genin, sniffing and checking to make sure they were okay.

When she made sure the genin were okay Mori padded out the room, tail swishing as she went. Her front leg could fully support her weight, and her side was not hurting as much as before. She shook out her fur and nudged the front door open, squeezing herself through. The breeze caressed her white fur gently, and she stretched her front legs before stretching the back legs.

Shaking out her fur again, Mori lifted her nose to scent the air. Trees, water and small animals assaulted her nose. A twig snapped, and Mori turned her red gaze towards the sound. Padding down the front steps, she followed her ears until she came across a small boy. Tongue lolling out of her mouth, Mori sat back on her haunches and watched as the child gazed towards the water. A sniffle caught her attention and her ears pricked forward; the smell of salt wafting slowly towards her. Mori cocked her head in confusion.

" _Tears_?" Mori thought to herself.

Why would this small child be crying? She cocked her head once again as the child turned towards her, large hat hiding his eyes. He stopped, black eyes wide in surprise in seeing her sitting there.

"Where did you come from?" he said thickly, swallowing back his tears.

Mori whinned in her throat. So this lonely pup belonged to Tsunami. She could smell her on this small child. He walked up to her and lifted a hesitant hand towards her head, unsure if she was going to bite him or not. Mori lowered her head in invitation, and the child's hand grasped her fur. He made a small sound as he marvelled at how soft her fur was, and Mori lifted her muzzle towards his face, chuffing in his ear.

She whinned again and licked his cheek, removing the reminents of his tears. She then licked the other cheek until there were no more tear tracks. The child cracked a small smile, and Mori felt her tail wag slightly.

"I have to go now, I'm sorry" he said suddenly, before turning and walking towards the small house.

Mori sat in the same spot, red eyes watching the child's disappearing back. Why was he so sad? A pup his age should be hyper and full of life. Her stomach grumbled suddenly, and Mori sighed before standing on four paws. She searched inside for the human chakra, and within seconds she stood on two feet.

Brushing a strand of hair away, she began walking towards the house. She did need food, and last time she ate was the rabbit the morning before. She sighed quietly as she opened the front door, the smell of food assaulting her nose.

"Ah, there you are. I was wondering where you went off to Mori" Kakashi said with his typical one-eye smile.

Mori smiled gently and sat down, accepting a bowl of steaming food from Tsunami.

"I was out stretching my legs" she said before tucking into her food.

From the gross-smelling mess on the floor that Tsunami was currently cleaning, she had apparently missed some challenge. The door opened, and a small shape rushed to Tazuna's arms. Mori glanced up from her bowl, smiling slightly when she noticed that the child had a smile on his face. It was small, but it was there.

"Inari! You apologize at once!" Tsunami scolded as the child-Inari-began insulting Naruto.

Mori gazed at Inari as the child defended his actions, and a frown tugged on her lips as he brushed past them. He looked up suddenly and stopped, his black eyes staring deep into her red ones. Mori smiled gently and put her bowl down.

"You're the dog from before!" he said, pointing a finger at her.

Mori nodded, a smile forming on her face. She would forgive the child for mistaking her for a dog.

"I am. You're smart to have figured me out so fast" she praised, watching as a small amount of pink race across his face, but frowned when it disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"Whatever. You aren't going to win against Gato so you might as well go home" Inari grounded out before rushing to his room.

A door slamming followed soon after. Tsunami sighed sadly before she continued cleaning. Tazuna began a lengthy explanation of his grandson's attitude, and Mori paid little attention to the older man. This man, Gato, was the reason for Inari to be sad. Her red eyes drifted to the window as her thoughts swirled around in her brain. A small growl resonated from her chest as her eyes narrowed slightly.

She would defeat this man Gato, for Inari's sake.


	13. Chapter 13

Yawning widely, Mori shook out her fur and flexed her limbs individually, testing their strength. Her arm had healed nicely, and barely hurt when she put weight on it. The sun rose high in the sky as she padded out the door as the white wolf. She needed to get out of the small house and do something.

What that something was, she wasn't sure. The wolf needed to run; to feel the wind rushing through its fur, to feel the muscles in her limbs pumping as she ran to her full speed.

Kakashi had taken the genin to an area outside the wooden house to train some more after everyone had come to the conclusion that Zabuza was still alive. Mori snorted at the thought of this. She would extract her revenge on the blood-smelling man.

She continued padding through the forest, tail high and ears twitching. Here and there, birds chirped and small mammals ran about. Her tongue lolled out of her mouth as she took in the sights and smells of the forest.

A twig snapped suddenly and Mori stopped, muscles tensing and ears pricked forward. She raised her nose to scent the air, and her red eyes widened.

No...it couldn't be!

That scent...it couldn't be him. He was locked away in Orochimaru's prison. Mori's heart nearly stopped when a low growl was heard from the bushes. She recognized that growl anywhere. Her red eyes grew wide when a sleek black body appeared from the bushes, black eyes staring straight at her. Mori's tail wagged slightly as happiness bubbled from her chest.

Hideo! Her only brother! He was okay!

A whine rose from Mori's chest as she took a step forward, tail wagging. She couldn't stand it anymore, and with a yip jumped over to Hideo, jumping and yipping like an excited pup. She jumped around Hideo, licking and whining. She paused, head cocked in confusion. Wasn't Hideo happy to see her as well? It had been months since they had seen each other. Her ear twitched as a sudden cool wind blew around them.

Something was wrong.

Hideo's black eyes were always twinkling in mischief, but now his eyes were dull and lifeless. Her red eyes widened in shock when a deep growl vibrated from her brother's chest, and his lips rose over his teeth. The growl turned into a snarl, and he leapt at Mori, claws extended.

He hit Mori full on as she answered his snarl with a snarl of her own. Hideo snapped his teeth at Mori, catching her ear in the process and forcing a yelp from her.

She struggled to gain the upper hand, still confused by her brother's actions. Her paws scrabbled and raked down Hideo's stomach as he forced her onto her back. Her mind screamed at her to change into her human form and get help, to get away from here. The woods were filled with the snarls, yelps and growls as the two wolves fought.

Mori snapped her jaws around Hideo's muzzle, and hot blood rushed through her mouth. Her back legs bunched as she prepared to leap at Hideo. Hideo ducked to the side and slammed his head against her ribs. A 'crack' sounded in her ears, and a high pitch yelp sounded as fire raced across her ribs. His teeth found themselves around her right leg and he bit down hard, teeth easily piercing her fur.

An animal-like scream sounded from Mori as he continued biting down. She whipped her head around and bit his ear hard. She tried to pull him off her, but Hideo was too strong. He was always stronger then her, even when they were pups. He released her leg, teeth stained red with her blood. Mori released Hideo's ear and jumped back, panting heavily. Hideo snarled and launched at Mori again.

She braced her limbs for the impact, and he rammed into her with the weight of a brick wall. He used his weight to his advantage and pinned the white wolf beneath him. Mori scrabbled desperately, but Hideo bit the back of her head in a crushing bite.

He was going to kill her in this forest.

Mori once again tried to shove Hideo off, but the large black wolf wouldn't budge. He bit at her ear again, blood splashing on the ground as she snarled in pain. Mori flipped over onto her back and fought back, teeth and nails flashing in the sunlight. She bit Hideo's shoulder and raked her nails down his stomach again. He struggled to free himself, but Mori tightened her grip on him. With a final snarl, Hideo grabbed her throat in his jaws.

Mori stilled immediately as he tightened his grip, effectively cutting off her air.

Her breath began to gurgle and her body felt uncharacteristically warm. Just before she welcomed her fate, Hideo stopped. He released her throat, and Mori landed on the ground in a pile of white fur. Blood began to ooze from her wounds as Hideo stood above her. He raised his head and howled in victory, his howl a deeper pitch then Mori's own.

Mori gazed unblinkingly up at her brother as he lowered his head and stared ahead, as if he was listening to something. With a swish of his black tail he trotted away into the foliage, leaving Mori in a pool of her own blood. She could feel a blackness creeping over her mind, threatening to snuff out everything. Her eyes slowly began to close as her body became warm.

No! She had to get out of here!

Her eyes snapped open, and she lifted herself up until she was sitting on her haunches. Her body shuddered from the wounds, her pupils slit in pain. Her thoughts fled from her mind as she shakily got on four paws and set out in a random direction. As she continued struggling through the woods, her blood continued flowing freely.

A sound caused her ears to twitch, and a scent floated into her nose. With no rational thought, Mori snarled deeply as her nose told her that the scent was right in front of her. A voice sounded in front of her muzzle, and Mori snapped her jaws in warning to whoever it was to stay away.

"Mori? What happened?" the voice said.

She barked once, but it trailed off in a dying gurgle as her legs gave out. Her body fell to the side with a ' _thump_ ', and she laid there, blood continuing to flow at an alarming rate. She scrambled to get back on her feet again, but her limbs refused to co-operate.

At this rate, she was certainly going to die. She faintly registered that the voice was becoming fainter and fainter.


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey everyone, here is the next instalment of Teardrop of the Wolf. Now that school has ended for the summer, I will have more time to update my stories. Please follow/review/favourite and as usual, I don't own Naruto.**

Pain ran up and down Mori's spine as she lay on the ground as the white wolf. Her lips lifted in a silent snarl as the pain from her wounds made her back arch. A voice came suddenly and echoed through her pain-filled mind; soothing and calming her down. As Mori tried to concentrate on the voice, a wave of exhaustion settled over her, and she gave in to the numbing sleep as her body began the healing process.

A bird chirped nearby, and Mori opened her eyes slowly, ears twitching as something rustled beside her. Her nose pitched up the scent of herbs as her red eyes focused on her surroundings. She was still in the forest, and a shape appeared in front of her. Blinking, Mori struggled to raise her head, a warning growl echoing from her chest.

"It's alright, I won't hurt you" a soft voice said from the shape.

Mori blinked again, and the shape cleared to reveal a young girl sitting in front of her. Big and kind hazel eyes stared back at Mori. Mori painfully rose to a sitting position, eyes still on the girl. She looked to be a little older then the genin, and a basket was placed beside her. Mori's nose twitched as she glanced down at herself; gel was spread across her wounds that gave off an earthy smell.

So, the girl was the one who healed Mori's wounds. She lifted her head to gaze at the young girl sitting there in her pink kimono.

"Thank you, child" Mori rumbled as her tongue lolled out of her mouth.

The girl blinked and smiled. If she was surprised that Mori could speak, then she hid it well. The girl glanced down at her basket, obviously pleased with herself. Mori painfully got to her feet and shook out her fur.

"Who were you fighting?" the girl suddenly said, her voice calm and smooth.

"Someone very special to me" Mori said, eyes gazing at the sky.

Hideo. There was something wrong with him; her brother would never attack her like that.

"You can wash off the gel now. Your wounds will heal better now, but I suggest washing them in the water" the girl said with a small smile.

Mori looked down at the girl and with a swish of her tail, padded into the forest. She wanted to wash this gel off and get back to the genin. She raised her muzzle to the air, taking in the many scents of the forest. There! Water was nearby. Mori padded to where her nose led her to a small pond. She glanced around before reaching inside of herself, looking for the human chakra. When she was finally human, she glanced at her wounds. Thankfully the wounds from Hideo were on their way to healing, so she didn't have to worry about the wounds ripping back open through her form change.

Mori quickly shed her clothing and dipped one foot in, then the other. Soon, her entire body was immersed in the cool water. Mori quickly washed the gel from her body and got out of the pond, getting changed in the process.

Birds chirped from high above the trees as she started her journey back to the small house. The sun began to set, painting the sky with reds and dark blues. A sigh of relief forced itself out of her when she spied the house, and the sounds of Sakura scolding reached her ears. By this time, her wounds were slight marks upon her skin. Smiling slightly, Mori walked towards the sound and entered the house.

"Mori! You're back!" Sakura said, looking up from her scolding of Naruto and Sasuke.

Mori blinked in confusion when her red eyes noticed the two male genin on the floor, looking as if they had been in a fight.

"Yes, I apologize for my absence" she said as she sat down beside Sakura.

The young girl nodded after a moment and went right back to scolding her teammates. Mori smiled slightly as she closed her eyes and crossed her arms; her body relaxing slightly. It was weird, but Mori was beginning to relax with all of Sakura's scolding. Movement echoed beside her, and she opened her eyes to see who it was. Kakashi had decided to sit beside the woman, and was gazing at her with his one visible eye.

"So what happened? I heard a howl that wasn't yours" he murmured, too low for the genin to hear.

"I met...up with my past" Mori faltered, unsure of the possibility of telling the Jonin.

"The past have teeth?" he replied as he gazed at the healing wound on Mori's arm.

Of course he would know what a canine bite would look like. Mori sighed, placing a hand on said-wound. The images of her and Hideo fighting flashed in her mind, causing her heart to clench painfully.

"Yes..he does have teeth" she whispered, eyes hidden by the shadow of her bangs.

After a moment of silence Kakashi sighed and stood up, saying that they should all get rest. Mori stood up as well and after helping Tsunami clean, shifted to the white wolf. She padded to a corner of the room and laid on her belly, tail curling over her muzzle. At this point, Mori did not feel like talking with anyone. Her ears twitched when she heard the genin enter their appropriate rooms, and soon the house was silent.

She lifted her head up and gazed at the night sky through the window, red eyes searching the stars. With a small groan, she lifted herself up on her paws and nudged the front door open with her nose.

The night was calm and warm as the nocturnal animals sang their songs. Mori sat on her haunches before lifting her muzzle to the night air, a howl echoing from her maw.

The howl rang through the trees and spoke of confusion and grief that the she-wolf was feeling. It was a heart wrenching sound to anyone who listened to it, and felt as if their own hearts were breaking in two. After a couple minutes, Mori stopped howling and sighed before lying on her stomach again, nose tucked under her tail.


	15. Chapter 15

Birds chirping filled the air as the sun rose high in the sky. A white ear twitched as bird songs filled the furry ear. A tail swished away from a sleeping wolf's face as it's muzzle rested on its front paws. One red eye blearily opened and then the other. With a low groan the wolf raised her head and yawned, canines flashing in the morning light.

Mori's nose twitched as she scented the air. Her wounds had healed from the fight with Hideo, but her heart was still hurting. She got to her paws and stretched, toes separating from her furry paws. She then shook out her fur and headed towards the scent of water as it led her to a pond.

As Mori drank deeply, her ears twitched as a sound echoed through the forest. Her head shot up from the small pond. Her ears twitched back and forth as her red eyes narrowed. It sounded like snarls that weren't human. The scent of blood also came through, causing Mori's nose to twitch.

A snarl exploded on her muzzle as she sprang forward. The blood had the scent of Zabuza on it, and it mixed with Kakashi. Her eyes narrowed as trees flew by, her paws pounding against the forest floor. As she neared the bridge, mist began swirling thickly around her. Another scent began to weave around the other scent of blood, and Mori put on another burst of speed. Her brother was there with Zabuza and Kakashi.

She bunched her back legs and jumped straight into the air. She braced her limbs for impact as she landed on top of her brother as he stood in front of Sakura and Tazuna. They met with a loud roar and a clash of teeth and claws.

Sakura's scream echoed in Mori's ears as she bit and slashed at Hideo's face. His growl rumbled through her as he clamped down hard on her front leg. Blood splattered along the bridge as Mori released a loud yelp. She swiped at Hideo's face with her other front paw with a snarl. Hideo released her front leg and jumped back, growling. She answered his growl with her own, red eyes blazing.

Mori wouldn't let Hideo touch the genin, brother or not. Sakura released a scream as Zabuza rushed forward, slicing into Kakashi's vest.

Mori glanced towards Kakashi with concern, but a blinding pain in her side caused her focus to snap to Hideo. He had latched onto her side with his jaws. Mori snarled and Hideo forced her onto her back, his weight overpowering her.

She raked her claws down his stomach as Hideo clamped onto her back leg, causing her to let out an animalistic scream. The ground began to shake as Mori continued fighting tooth and nail against her older brother.

A sudden surge of chakra blasted through the air. Mori's nose twitched as Naruto's scent flowed through another scent. Hideo paused in his onslaught, and Mori took the opportunity to slash at his face.

Hideo jumped back, and Mori struggled to her feet, blood gushing from the many wounds both wolves gave each other. Mori's ears twitched as the sounds of Kakashi's hounds echoed through the air. They had tracked the scent of Kakashi's blood to Zabuza's sword and had attacked.

Mori and Hideo stood still, eyes locked with one another's. Mori whined in her throat as the pain from her wounds made it hard to think clearly.

"Hideo" Mori murmured quietly as she continued gazing at her brother.

Maybe...maybe if she tried getting through to Hideo he could become her brother again. She had to believe he was still in there! Her tail wagged painfully.

"Hideo, please. Come back to me" Mori said quietly again, the sounds of battle forgotten around them.

Blood continued to flow from their wounds and puddled on the ground. Her red eyes gazed relentlessly into her brother's cold dark ones.

Mori continued staring at her older brother, red eyes hopeful. Her wounds continued throbbing, but Mori ignored them.

A clapping sound made both wolves' ears twitch, and two sets of eyes turned to see a short man with a cane standing beside them, grinning and applauding. A large group of thugs were standing behind the short man as Mori's nose twitched. The scent of blood and greed rose in waves from the tiny man, making her lip rise in disgust. Zabuza spoke the man's name in confusion, and a growl vibrated from Mori's chest.

So, this was the man that made Inari suffer.

Her limbs straightened as she prepared to pounce on the tiny insect of a man. The man, Gato, glanced in her direction as the white wolf stalked around him. He snapped his fingers together, and with a flick of his tail Hideo jumped on his sister. Black and white clashed together as the siblings fought, the echo of their snarls and growls loud in the air. Naruto made a move to help, but Kakashi placed a hand on his shoulder, effectively stopping the genin from getting closer.

"But Kakashi-sensei! We have to help her! Mori could be killed by that other wolf!" the genin said as he looked up at his sensei.

"This is Mori's fight, Naruto. She has to fight this herself" the Jonin said, eyes worried as he watched the two wolves fighting.

Blood splattered onto the ground as the two wolves fought. Gato laughed at the spectacle before turning his attention towards Zabuza and the Konoha ninja. With a command from him, the bandits ran at them with a loud cry. Zabuza effectively took some out, and targeted the short man. With a couple slices from the kunai in his mouth, Zabuza took out the nuisance that was Gato.

Mori scrambled to release herself from Hideo's jaws as the older wolf pinned her down. He used his weight to keep her pinned, and Mori had a brief flashback of when he used to bully her when they were pups. She bucked and twisted, trying everything she thought of to get him to release her.

A kunai suddenly embedded itself into Hideo's shoulder, and he leapt to the side with a yelp. Mori staggered to her feet and looked towards the Konoha team. Naruto, against his sensei's orders, had thrown the kunai. He smirked when he saw Mori gaze at him with her red eyes. She gave him a brief tail wag in thanks, and turned her attention quickly to her brother, who had grabbed the kunai' handle with his jaws and pulled it out of his shoulder.

Hideo then dropped the kunai with a growl and gazed at the scene of the Hidden Mist villagers with a blank expression. His ear twitched slightly, as if he had heard something Mori could not. Hideo suddenly turned and bolted away from the chaos, heading towards the end of the bridge. Mori started after her brother, but screeched to a halt when he leapt over the side of the bridge and into the water below. Snow began to fall softly as she heard a ' _splash_ '.

She peered over the side of the bridge to see her brother swimming safely to shore. Her tail lowered as Hideo pulled himself out of the water and shook out his fur, before running into the foliage. Mori sat back on her haunches and lifted her head to the sky. A mournful howl echoed from her muzzle as the snow continued to fall. She howled for her brother, who she couldn't get through to. She howled for Zabuza, who had fallen along with his comrade, Haku. She howled for the genin who had to witness death. Finally, she howled for the villages of the Hidden Mist who had to go through the terror and sorrow of living under Gato's ruling.

Mori lowered her head and stood up, shaking out her fur. Inari ran to her as Mori padded towards them and threw his arms around her neck, being mindful of her injuries. Her tail wagged slowly as she licked his cheek, causing the child to laugh. It was a glorious sound, and lightened Mori's heart. She continued to lick the child, and Inari continued to laugh. Finally she nudged him away, and he wiped his cheeks with his arm. She padded a little ways from the group before searching for her human chakra, and immersed herself in it. It had been too long since she was human, and she wanted to speak to Inari.

In a surge of blue, Mori stood as a human. The wounds she had received from Hideo were already beginning to heal, and she tucked a strand of white hair behind her ear. She opened her eyes and glanced at Inari as the child stared open-mouthed at her.

She walked towards him and bent down to his level. With a warm smile she placed her hand on top of his head.

"You did well, Inari. You were incredibly brave, and I know your father is very proud of you" she said with a smile.


	16. Chapter 16

**I apologize for the absence. I was working on gigs and now I have begun volunteering in an elementary school during the week. I hope you all enjoy this next chapter!**

Mori continued staring at her older brother, red eyes hopeful. Her wounds continued throbbing, but Mori ignored them.

A clapping sound made both wolves' ears twitch, and two sets of eyes turned to see a short man with a cane standing beside them, grinning and applauding. A large group of thugs were standing behind the short man as Mori's nose twitched. The scent of blood and greed rose in waves from the tiny man, making her lip rise in disgust. Zabuza spoke the man's name in confusion, and a growl vibrated from Mori's chest.

So, this was the man that made Inari suffer.

Her limbs straightened as she prepared to pounce on the tiny insect of a man. The man, Gato, glanced in her direction as the white wolf stalked around him. He snapped his fingers together, and with a flick of his tail Hideo jumped on his sister. Black and white clashed together as the siblings fought, the echo of their snarls and growls loud in the air. Naruto made a move to help, but Kakashi placed a hand on his shoulder, effectively stopping the genin from getting closer.

"But Kakashi-sensei! We have to help her! Mori could be killed by that other wolf!" the genin said as he looked up at his sensei.

"This is Mori's fight, Naruto. She has to fight this herself" the Jonin said, eyes worried as he watched the two wolves fighting.

Blood splattered onto the ground as the two wolves fought. Gato laughed at the spectical before turning his attention towards Zabuza and the Konoha ninja. With a command from him, the bandits ran at them with a loud cry. Zabuza effectively took some out, and targeted the short man. With a couple slices from the kunai in his mouth, Zabuza took out the nuisance that was Gato.

Mori scrambled to release herself from Hideo's jaws as the older wolf pinned her down. He used his weight to keep her pinned, and Mori had a brief flashback of when he used to bully her when they were pups. She bucked and twisted, trying everything she thought of to get him to release her.

A kunai suddenly embedded itself into Hideo's shoulder, and he lept to the side with a yelp. Mori staggered to her feet and looked towards the Konoha team. Naruto, against his sensei's orders, had thrown the kunai. He smirked when he saw Mori gaze at him with her red eyes. She gave him a brief tail wag in thanks, and turned her attention quickly to her brother, who had grabbed the kunai' handle with his jaws and pulled it out of his shoulder.

Hideo then dropped the kunai with a growl and gazed at the scene of the Hidden Mist villagers with a blank expression. His ear twitched slightly, as if he had heard something Mori could not. Hideo suddenly turned and bolted away from the chaos, heading towards the end of the bridge. Mori started after her brother, but screeched to a halt when he leapt over the side of the bridge and into the water below. Snow began to fall softly as she heard a 'splash'.

She peered over the side of the bridge to see her brother swimming safely to shore. Her tail lowered as Hideo pulled himself out of the water and shook out his fur, before running into the foliage. Mori sat back on her haunches and lifted her head to the sky. A mournful howl echoed from her muzzle as the snow continued to fall. She howled for her brother, who she couldn't get through to. She howled for Zabuza, who had fallen along with his comrade, Haku. She howled for the genin who had to witness death. Finally, she howled for the villages of the Hidden Mist who had to go through the terror and sorrow of living under Gato's ruling.

Mori lowered her head and stood up, shaking out her fur. Inari ran to her as Mori padded towards them and threw his arms around her neck, being mindful of her injuries. Her tail wagged slowly as she licked his cheek, causing the child to laugh. It was a glorious sound, and lightened Mori's heart. She continued to lick the child, and Inari continued to laugh. Finally she nudged him away, and he wiped his cheeks with his arm. She padded a little ways from the group before searching for her human chakra, and immersed herself in it. It had been too long since she was human, and she wanted to speak to Inari.

In a surge of blue, Mori stood as a human. The wounds she had received from Hideo were already beginning to heal, and she tucked a strand of white hair behind her ear. She opened her eyes and glanced at Inari as the child stared open-mouthed at her.

She walked towards him and bent down to his level. With a warm smile she placed her hand on top of his head.

"You did well, Inari. You were incredibly brave, and I know your father is very proud of you" she said with a smile.


	17. Chapter 17

**Here is the next chapter. In this chapter, we see how Mori is around other ninja...especially a certain one ;) I hope you all enjoy, and as usual I don't own Naruto.**

Inari gave her a large smile, and Mori smiled in return. He then turned to Naruto, and the two exchanged words. Mori turned her red gaze towards the forest, eyes searching desperately for a glimpse of her older brother. Something inside her said that Hideo was still in there. A hand clasped her shoulder, and she looked back to see Kakashi giving her a one-eyed smile. Mori gave her friend a small smile in return.

After awhile, the team from Konoha bid the villagers from the Hidden Mist goodbye. Mori decided to travel in her wolf form, and in a blink of an eye stood on four legs instead of two. She shook out her white fur and paced in a circle, anxious to get back. With a wave, the team was finally off. Naruto continued chattering happily as the team continued walking. Even though her wounds throbbed with each step, Mori wouldn't whimper. Her mind continued to buzz and whirl with thoughts about Hideo.

Where was he now? Why was he with Gato? Where was her mother? Was her mother still alive?

With an irritated growl, Mori shook her head. Of course her mother was still alive. One day Mori would return and rescue her mother and Hideo. She would be back.

Finally, the gates of Konoha appeared in the distance. The team entered through the open gates, and with a slight sigh Mori's furry haunches relaxed. She was safe here. She closed her eyes and shifted to human. She brushed some dirt off her pants and brushed a strand of hair away from her eye.

"I will see you later" Mori murmured to Kakashi before turning and walking down a side street.

She felt her friend's visible eye on her back as she continued walking. She let her mind wander as she continued walking, the sound of the villagers talking and children laughing echoing in her ears. She smiled gently when a group of children ran across her path, laughing and playing with each other.

"Mori? Is that you?" a warm voice said from behind her.

She turned around and smiled when she saw Iruka standing there. A soft smile pulled at her lips when she looked at the Chunin who she had known as long as she had known Kakashi. He gave a short laugh and scratched the back of his head.

"I haven't seen you in a long time! Where have you been?" Iruka said with a smile.

Mori returned the smile.

"I was...away" she said, looking away from the young man standing in front of her.

Brief images of her being chained in one of Orochimaru's cells flashed through her mind, and Mori blinked them away quickly. She looked up at Iruka, red eyes meeting black as he gazed at her.

"Would you...would you like to go have some ramen with me?" Iruka asked, pink splashing across his cheeks as he scratched the back of his head.

Mori smiled and nodded.

"I would love to" she said, feeling heat racing across her nose.

Her heart began fluttering in her chest as she continued gazing at the Chunin. Why was she feeling like this? What was this feeling? She never felt these emotions before. She gave herself a mental shake before walking beside the young man.

As they continued walking down the streets of Konoha, Mori began to feel more comfortable. Iruka become more and more animated when he talked about his students, making Mori laugh at his stories. She could tell he enjoyed teaching, and his animated actions gave him a caring and adorable look.

Another wave of heat raced over the bridge of her nose. She never thought of Iruka as adorable before. What was going on with her?

With an inaudible sigh, Mori followed the animated young man to the Ichiraku ramen restaurant. He indicated to an empty seat beside him, and she sat down with a small nod. Iruka glanced at her before giving a large smile. As Mori gave her order to the elderly man, Iruka took the time to cast a long look at her.

The last time he had seen Mori he was a bit older then Naruto. The 9 tailed fox had attacked the village and his parents had been killed.

 _Iruka was a young boy sitting by himself and sobbing over his parent's death. The bushes rustled nearby, and a young wild stepped carefully out, ears_ _and tail pricked. Iruka stopped sobbing and stood still, eyes wide. He didn't know that wolves were here in Konoha. He watched as the small wolf raised its nose to the air to scent it. It's red eyes watched the young boy as Iruka hastily wiped his eyes._

 _"What do you want? Go away!" he shouted._

 _The wolf cocked it's head and sat on its haunches. Iruka sniffed and he continued wiping at his eyes._

 _"Why are you crying?" a young girls voice echoed, and Iruka's head shot up._

 _It was only him and the wolf in the clearing, and wolves couldn't talk. Where did that voice come from?_

 _"Who...who's there?" Iruka shouted, looking around._

 _The wolf cocked its head again, red eyes staring at the confused boy. It opened its muzzle and a pink tongue rolled out._

 _"Why were you crying?" the voice said again, and Iruka's eyes widened when he realized it came from the wolf in front of him._

 _"You can talk?!" Iruka said, mouth agape._

 _The wolf blinked._

 _"Well...yeah. You've never heard a wolf talk before?" the wolf, obviously a female now, stood up on its four paws and shook its fur out._

 _Iruka shook his head, and let out a gasp when chakra wrapped itself around the wolf. In no time a young girl stood in front of Iruka. She stood on wooden sandals and black shorts hugged her slim legs. She wore a green tunic, and a necklace jingled across her neck. Short, white hair bobbed in front of her face as she gazed at the shocked boy in front of her. A giggle sounded from the girl as she leaned down in front of Iruka._

Iruka shook his head as he came out of the memory. The day he met Mori was the day he learned to laugh again.


	18. Chapter 18

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed, or reviewed this fanfic! It gives me such pleasure to see that people are enjoying what my imagination has come up with!**

Throughout the day, Mori and Iruka talked. It was as if they had seen each other every day. Mori felt a slight fluttering in her chest as Iruka laughed, and her cheeks became warm. Their orders finally came in, and with that a comfortable silence settled between the two. The silence was broken when a loud blonde came barrelling towards the two.

"Hey! Iruka-sensei! There you are I wanted to tell you about my mission!" Naruto shouted as he skid to a stop behind Iruka.

Mori smiled warmly as Naruto began retelling the mission in exaggerated detail, regardless if Iruka said yes or no. She quietly slipped off the stool and paid for her meal as Naruto continued chatting. She turned and quietly walked away, the sound of Naruto's loud laughter following her. It lightened her heart as she continued walking down the crowded street of Konoha. It definitely had a healing effect on Mori.

The fights with her older brother opened emotional wounds for her. Talking to Iruka helped to heal some of those wounds.

Turning a corner, she reached inside to her other chakra and enveloped herself in it. In seconds a white wolf stood there, and Mori shook out her fur. Her nails clicked on the street as she padded through Konoha. Some children ran around her, and her heart lifted when they pet her fur. Her tail wagged slightly when they continued stroking her fur and scratching her behind her ear. Mori soon found herself on her back as the children continued their pets and strokes. Her entire body wiggled in happiness as the children continued.

Unfortunately they were called away, and with mumbling curses the children walked away. Her ears flattened sadly as she lay on her side, red eyes staring at the back of the children as they continued walking away.

' _Well, that was fun while it lasted_ ' Mori thought to herself.

Her tail twitched as she sat up on her haunches. A chuckle sounded from behind her, and Mori's ear slightly twitched. She knew Kakashi was behind her, and turned her head slightly to see her friend standing behind her.

"What do you want Kakashi?" Mori said before scratching the back of her ear.

"Care to tell me what happened in the Land of Waves?" the Jonin said, hands in his pockets.

Mori sat silently for a couple of seconds before getting up on her four paws. She padded down the street, eyes looking straight in front of her. She didn't need to look back to know Kakashi was following her.

Finally, Mori stopped at the training grounds. A breeze blew through the trees and ruffled her white fur. She sat down in the grass and stared up at the sky. The clouds floated on by, and birds chirped back and forth to each other. Internally she reached inside and grasped her human chakra.

In seconds the young woman sat on the ground. She sat up from the ground and brushed her pants off. She turned to Kakashi and brushed a few strands away from her red eyes. Her friend stood there with his hands in his pockets, patiently waiting. Mori sighed and brushed a hand through her hair.

"That was my brother on the bridge, and in the forest. A couple years ago, the entire pack was attacked by Orochimaru and his ninja. My father was killed by Orochimaru, and we tried to flee but Kabuto captured my mother, brother and myself. We spent years in cells and had many tests and torture methods done to us, because we had two types of chakra inside of us" Mori snarled, canines glittering in the sunlight.

Her pupils narrowed at the memory of the mind-numbing pain she went through at the hands of Kabuto. No matter how much she screamed and tried to get away, the pain was always there. Other times she tried to attack Kabuto or one of the other ninja, but that always led to her being chained and whipped. Mori clenched her fists at the memory. She could still hear the sound of the whip cracking in her ears. A hand on her shoulder snapped Mori out of her memories. Red eyes met black as her shoulders relaxed slightly.

"Then what happened" he said quietly.

Mori sighed and looked away, jaw opening and closing as she tried to find her voice.

"Some time ago my mother somehow found a way for me to escape. She created an opening in the wall of the cell we shared, and created a diversion so I could escape. I snuck through the hole and ran. I had never run so hard or fast in my life. I wanted to go back for my mother and brother, but my mother told me to only run. I don't even know if she's still alive or not. The wolf you saw on the bridge: that was my brother Hideo. I don't know what he was doing, or why he was doing it. It's like he's being controlled" Mori finished, gasping for breath.

Kakashi stood there, silently absorbing her words. Mori brushed a hand through her hair. It felt somewhat good to get this off her chest. She was keeping it all inside, and sooner or later it would have burst. Slowly, her limbs began to relax as birds flew overhead.

"Thank you for hearing all of it. I have never told anyone else" she said, eyes softening.

He gave her his signature one-eyed smile.

"Well, I have to meet my team. I'm entering them in the Chunin exams" Kakashi said.

Mori nodded.

"Good idea, the genin are ready, especially Naruto. He will be a wonderful alpha one day" she said, letting out a slight chuckle after.


	19. Chapter 19

**I hope everyone enjoys this new chapter. Thank you to those who have favourited and followed this story and welcome to the new followers! As usual, I don't own Naruto.**

The wind blew through the trees as red eyes gazed at the shuddering leaves. Mori was spending the afternoon to herself, and found a spot underneath a shady tree. The young woman could feel something was about to happen. It was like a change in the atmosphere, and Mori couldn't shake the feeling something big was coming.

Sighing, she got to her feet and fixed her arm guards. She shifted to the white wolf and shook out her white fur. Her ears swivelled back and forth as she padded into the Konoha streets. Mori continued down the streets, mind intent on talking to the Hokage.

As she turned the corner, a scent made her stop dead in her tracks. She lifted her muzzle to the air, nostrils flaring. The scents of the genin from Team 7 filled her nose, but they were also mingled with new scents. The new scents made her fur bristle and a snarl curled itself around her muzzle. One of those scents was infused with blood and darkness. Mori sprang forward with a snarl, her paws pounding into the dirt. Rounding the corner, she pounced on one of the three new scents, the sound of wood rattling in her ears.

Her claws pierced his black clothing, and her ears twitched when she heard a cry of surprise from the boy underneath her paws. With a growl, Mori leaped off and placed herself in front of the genin, fur bristling and a growl rumbling from her chest. The strong scent of fear came off in waves from the small children behind Naruto, causing Mori to give a deeper growl.

The man stood up and reached for the bandaged package on his back. Mori's red eyes narrowed when a red-headed boy stopped him with some quiet words. Her ears twitched when Sasuke jumped down to land beside her. She shook out her fur and padded to the academy students, who were huddling together. She nuzzled the one boy, Konohamaru, and then the other two. With a wave of her tail, she padded off as Moegi waved goodbye. Mori padded through the narrow streets, confident that conflict wasn't going to happen.

Maybe the Hokage knew what was happening.

Mori continued down the street, ears nervously flicking back and forth. As she rounded the corner, she bumped into a warm body. With a snarl she jumped back, teeth bared.

"Mori? What are you doing here?" a masculine voice said in confusion.

She blinked and sat down on her haunches, ears flicked back in shame. She had snarled at Iruka! She was so busy being worried that she had bumped into the man who always gave her butterflies since they were younger.

"I apologize, Iruka. I had some things on my mind" Mori said.

The academy instructor scratched the back of his head and let out a laugh.

"It's alright. We all have things on our minds from time to time" he said, offering the wolf a smile.

Mori huffed and before Iruka could blink, shifted back to human. She moved hair away from her red eyes in irritation. Iruka gave a nervous chuckle and scratched the back of his head.

"I will never get used to seeing you do that" he said, and Mori gave him a small smile.

"Why were there different ninja here in Konoha? It feels like something is going to happen...something bad" she said.

"They're here from the Chunin exams" Iruka said, causing the young woman to give a small 'oh' in understanding.

So that's why there were many new scents in Konoha. She let out a sigh and felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking up, her red eyes connected with his black eyes.

"Are you worried about Naruto and the others?" Mori said, trying to ignore the warmth that his hand was radiating through her body.

The young man sighed and removed his hand, and some small part of Mori wished he didn't do that. He brought one hand up to rub it under his chin in thought.

"I know they'll do just fine, especially Naruto" he said after a couple moments, giving Mori a large smile.

Mori returned his smile with her own, and a small gust of wind blew around them. Yes, they would be just fine. All of them.

"I tested all 3, and they did just fine" Iruka said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly when Mori gave him a look.

"Tested?" Mori said in almost a growl, red eyes hard.

"Yeah. Actually, Kakashi wanted me to test them. I didn't think they could do it, but he's right. They're ready" he said.

With a sigh, Mori felt her shoulders relax and she gave the man a small smile. They would do just fine. A gust of wind blew past the two, and Mori stiffened as particular scents drifted on the gale. Her nostrils flared, and her teeth clenched; she knew those scents all too well. Those scents made her stomach clench, and in her mind's eye she saw whips and cell bars. With a large growl, her animal chakra burst around her and before Iruka could blink, the white wolf stood in the girls place. With a large snarl Mori sprang forward, following the scents on the breeze.

Iruka's calls echoed in her ears but Mori ignored him. Her red eyes narrowed as her heart pumped furiously, her paws pounding along the street.

' _Hideo...I know you're here with him and Kabuto_ ' she thought as she continued running through the Konoha streets.


	20. Chapter 20

**I hope everyone enjoys this next chapter! Thank you to everyone who has enjoyed this fanfiction enough to want to favourite or follow it :D As usual, I don't own Naruto.**

Mori's paws pounded on the street as she raced through the throng of people, ears pressed back against her skull. She knew they were here, but why? For the Chunin exams? She skidded to a halt as she rounded the corner of the street. Her red eyes narrowed when she saw a group of ninja standing in the middle of the street, talking among themselves.

Panting lightly she raised her muzzle in the air, scenting the air. One particular scent caused her hackles to rise, and a loud growl vibrated through her chest. He was here. The man in the middle took notice of her and his eyes lit up. Even though he was in a different body, Mori knew it was him.

It was Orochimaru.

In a blink the young woman took the wolf's place, and she quickly grabbed a knife from her weapon holster. The man gave an inaudible order, and the ninja around him charged towards her. Mori gritted her teeth and blocked a barrage of shuriken with her knife and arm guards. She aimed a kick at one ninja, and jumped back when another ninja took his fallen comrade's place. Two of the other ninja grabbed her arms, and the one she kicked away came up as they held her still. Mori snarled and struggled, trying to break free.

The other ninja came up, and the two began stabbing Mori with their kunai with malicious glee. Their laughs echoed in her ears as pain raced through her body. She bit her lip to hold in her cries and a couple moments later, the ninja released her. She slumped to the ground, blood pooling around her from the stab wounds.

A stinging sensation raced across her back, and her eyes snapped up to see Orochimaru in his disguise had thrown a kunai at her. The blade had sliced through the back of her shirt and embedded itself in the ground beside her. Blood began to well from the wound, and a dark chuckle caught Mori's attention. She looked to the kunai, and her eyes widened when she saw a paper bomb attached to the kunai's handle.

She crouched and jumped just as the bomb exploded. The shock wave sent her flying through the air, and with a grunt she slammed into a wall. As she slid down the hard exterior, she opened her eyes as a dark shadow fell across her.

"Well well, it looks like I've found my lost little pup" a deep voice said.

Mori's stomach clenched when the disguised Orochimaru knelt down to her level. He raised his hand and in mock-gentleness, pressed his hand against her cheek. She flinched briefly as the images of her torture flashed through her mind. With a large smile, his hand descended to her neck and in a flash, slammed her neck into the wall. Cracks appeared in the wall around the impact as stars exploded in Mori's vision. Blood spurted from her mouth as pain raced through the back of her head, and she felt blood dripping down her neck.

"This is the last time you will get away from me. I have your brother and mother, and now I have you" he hissed, eyes narrowed as he pressed her throat into the building harder.

Mori gasped as the blinding pain intensified. If he continued pressing, he was going to break her neck. She reached and grasped at his hand, scrabbling to grip his sleeve. Orochimaru released another dark chuckle as he watched the struggling girl in front of him. He was going to make this insignificant girl suffer. Mori gritted her teeth as she struggled to free herself. Breathing became more and more difficult as the seconds passed, and black spots swarmed around in her vision.

After what seemed like an eternity, Orochimaru released her neck and leaned close to her ear.

"I will be back for you, my pet" he whispered, and was gone in an instant.

Mori gasped for air as pain raced through her body. She couldn't move, couldn't think, couldn't speak. It took her a while to realize someone was talking to her.

"Mori? Mori, what happened?!" a worried voice said in front of her.

Her eyes opened slowly and her red eyes landed on a male figure kneeling in front of her. Her unfocused eyes blinked slowly, and her brain tried to connect the voice to a face.

"Mori, can you hear me? It's me, Iruka. Come on, I'm going to take you to the hospital" Iruka said gently.

He slowly grasped his friend around her shoulders and leaned her forward until she was leaning against her knees. He then put his one arm under her knees and the other across her shoulders and slowly lifted the young woman up. Blood dripped down steadily from her wounds as the academy instructor jumped from roof to roof, looking for the hospital building.

Iruka didn't know what happened, but when he was walking down the street he saw a black wolf. He never saw a black wolf in Konoha before. It was just staring at him, and then turned around and disappeared around the corner. He decided to follow the black wolf, and when he rounded the corner he saw Mori in a bloody and crumpled heap.

His arms tightened unconsciously around the woman in his arms. Mori's head rolled against his chest as he continued jumping. Her eyelids fluttered as he landed at the hospital doors. Iruka rushed through the doors as his ears picked up a small groan coming from the woman in his arms. A couple nurses hurried to him and took Mori from him and placed her on a hospital bed. Iruka stared after the nurses' backs as they hurried Mori away.

He sat down on a chair with a heavy sigh. What happened to her? Who did this to his friend...and why? He rubbed a hand over his face as his mind raced. This wasn't the first time his thoughts included the young woman whose blood stained his vest. Every time he thought of Mori, his heart raced and his face always felt hot. What was going on with him?


	21. Chapter 21

**In this chapter, we see how our favourite masked ninja and Mori met when they were younger. Enjoy!**

Muted voices echoed around the slumbering woman, and her eyelids fluttered open. Bright lights blinded Mori, and she squeezed her eyes shut. The voices came closer, and a rattle caught her attention. Her red eyes opened again, and a blurry face came into view. Her muscles screamed in protest as she struggled to sit up, and an arm placed itself around her shoulders.

"Take it easy. Your injuries are still healing" a voice said beside her, and Mori turned her head to see Iruka's worried expression beside her.

"What happened?" Mori murmured, leaning back against the hospital pillow.

Iruka's face became one of pure sadness, and Mori felt a pang of panic.

"What happened, Iruka?" she asked.

"There were a couple of things that happened while you were in the hospital. The medical nin put you in a coma because your trachea was severely damaged, and you had severe blood loss" he said.

"How long?" she said.

Iruka stayed silent, causing Mori to frown.

"Iruka" she said, voice hard for once.

"Three weeks" he said quietly.

Mori sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"I have to go see the Hokage about something" she said, and slowly swung her legs out from the hospital bed.

Her teeth clenched as a wave of pain raced through her back, and she bit her lip. Iruka rushed to her side, and helped the young woman stand up on shaky legs. She blinked when she noticed how close Iruka's face was to her own, and she felt her cheeks warmed. His black eyes connected to hers, and she could swear she saw Iruka's cheeks turn a slight shade of pink.

He straightened up slowly with Mori and gave her a small smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Iruka...please tell me what happened" she murmured.

He nodded once and sat her down on her hospital bed. He was silent for a moment, and then finally told her about the attack on Konoha. Orochimaru had come out of his disguise, and held the Hokage hostage while his ninja attacked the Konoha ninja. The Hokage had given up his life to defeat Orochimaru once and for all, but he had escaped with his left hand man Kabuto. Tears formed in her eyes as she digested the news.

"Who will become the next Hokage?" Mori asked in disbelief.

"I heard it would be one of his past students" Iruka said.

Mori gazed down at her hands, thoughts swirling in her head. Where would this leave the village?

A couple days later, Mori padded as the wolf through the village; the villager's hard work echoing in her ears. Her injuries had healed enough that the hospital released her, and it was a good thing too: she was starting to become antsy and growled at the nurses whenever they came in. The wolf was meant to be free, not kept in a hospital.

Her tongue lolled out of her maw as she dodged and weaved through the busy streets. It lifted her heart to see the people working together to rebuild their village. She came to a stop and lifted her muzzle, trying to find a particular scent. Nostrils flaring, she continued searching until she found what she was looking for. Her nose led Mori to one of the many fields that dotted the village. Her friend was there standing in front of a large stone. Mori padded towards the Jonin and stopped beside him.

The two were silent as the clouds floated by. Mori brought her hind leg up to scratch at an insect that had attached itself on her ear as Kakashi spoke.

"I see your injuries have healed" he said quietly.

Mori shook out her fur and gazed at the memorial stone. Her red eyes caught sight of the two names she knew since she was a young puppy:

Obito Uchiha  
Rin Nohara

"Iruka told me what happened" she said, tongue lolling out of her mouth.

Kakashi sighed and walked away, hands in his pockets. Mori's ear twitched when she heard the faint sound of thunder. The sun had vanished behind fast-approaching storm clouds, and the wind began to blow and ruffle her fur. She stood up on her four paws and gave the stone one more parting glance before racing into the forest. Finally, Mori found the small formation of rocks that she had slept in before. As she squeezed herself into the empty space, the clouds opened up. Mori curled her tail around her front paws and rested her jaw on the ground as the rain began.

She wouldn't be able to go out without getting wet, so it was best she wait out the storm. A snort forced its way out from her as Mori felt a bit of déjà vu. The same thing happened when she met Kakashi for the first time as a wolf pup. Her eyes closed as the pounding rain lulled her to sleep.

 _The clouds began to gather and darken in the sky, and Mori felt a whimper rise in her throat as she continued through the foliage. She had lost her way from following her mother through the forest, and fear began to creep in._

 _Her ears twitched back and forth as she lifted her small muzzle in the air, trying to find her mother's scent. Her tail tucked itself under her belly as the wind began to blow. A whimper echoed from her throat as she continued. She almost gave up hope when she heard a '_ thwack _'. A couple more sounds followed, and Mori followed the sounds to an open field._

 _Her head tilted in confusion when she saw a child training. She crept closer towards the child, and a sudden clap of thunder caused her to start in surprise. Her paws slipped down a hill and she slid down the mud with a squeal. A yelp forced itself out of Mori's throat when she hit something hard, paws sprawled out._

 _She looked up to see two black eyes staring at her. Mori scrambled to her feet and bared her teeth, letting out a small growl until another thunder clap boomed. She let out a yelp and her tail tucked itself under her belly again. Trembling, Mori looked up at the child-a young boy-and her head cocked to the side. Maybe this boy had seen her mother?_

 _"Have you seen my mother?" she said._

 _The boy's eyes only widened when her small voice echoed through her maw._

 _"No I'm sorry" he said, and Mori's heart dropped._

 _Another rumble of thunder sounded from right above them, and Mori shrank back in fear. She bumped into the boy's legs and sat there, fear locking her limbs in place. A sigh from above her caused her ears to twitch. A hand placed itself under her belly and lifted her up, holding her securely against a warm chest. She looked up to see the boy's masked face that was void of emotion. He began walking from the field and towards a large group of buildings._

 _"You can stay with me for the night" he said._

 _Mori's tail gave a brief wag of relief. She was really tired from searching for her mother, and she really appreciated the boy carrying her._

 _"Thank you for letting me stay with you. I'm Mori!" she said, tongue lolling out from her teeth._

 _"Kakashi Hatake" was all he said._

 _Mori's nose twitched when the boy brought her into a small apartment. Kakashi brought her to a sleeping roll and placed her on the ground. Mori let out a wide yawn as exhaustion tugged at the young wolf pup. She laid on her belly as her red eyes watched the boy move back and forth. Her eyes closed, and soon the young wolf pup was sleeping deeply._


	22. Chapter 22

**This is a new chapter from a new laptop! I'm so stoked with using it, but I'm still getting used to it. I hope everyone enjoys; the next couple of chapters will take a darker turn.**

Over the next couple days, Mori healed and helped the village as much as she could. Little by little, Konoha was coming together. The council had yet to pick the next leader for Konoha, and it left everyone with troubled thoughts. Mori could smell the worry and fear coming from the villagers in waves, and it caused her heart to break.

A bird chirped near Mori's ear one morning, causing it to twitch faintly. Her red eyes opened slowly as sunlight streamed through the clouds, and the morning breeze ruffled her white fur. She lifted her head from her paws and let out a large yawn, canines glittering in the morning sunlight. As she lifted herself to her paws, a scent floated on the breeze and into her nose. Mori's eyes widened as her nostrils flared, taking the scent in.

 _'Hideo...?'_ she thought as her eyes scanned the forest line.

What was her brother doing here? Did this mean Orochimaru was here too? She lifted her muzzle and howled, the sound carrying far on the breeze.

Are you here? Where are you?

Mori stopped howling and pricked her ears forward, listening intently. Her sharp eyes picked up the bushes along the forest line, and a growl vibrated from her chest. Hideo silently appeared like a ghost through the bush and stopped, blank eyes staring at her. As silently as he appeared, Hideo disappeared back into the bushes. Mori snarled and took off towards the forest, eyes trained on where her brother was. Little did she know that someone was watching her from the edge of the village. She followed her brother's scent through the bushes as her paws pounded through the dirt.

Panting, Mori slowed to a stop in the middle of the forest. Hideo's scent had begun to get fainter, and her heart squeezed painfully when the thought of her loosing her brother again echoed in her mind. Her ear twitched when a branch snapped ahead, and she sprang toward the sound. Branches snagged her fur and scratched at her face, but Mori continued on. As she rounded a bend in the forest, a shrill sound came at her from the side. Mori blinked in surprise and lunged to the side, narrowly missing kunai knives as they embedded themselves in a tree trunk. Her paws skidded to a stop in a spray of soil and leaves as she looked around, nostrils flaring and ears swivelling. A snarl etched itself on her muzzle in warning as new scents presented themselves around her.

Her ear twitched as a branch snapped behind her, and Mori jumped away as more kunai narrowly missed her haunches. Her red eyes narrowed as ninja jumped down and created a ring around her, holding kunai and other various weapons. Growling low, Mori braced her limbs as some of the ninja laughed. She could smell her brother on these ninja. A clapping sound caught her attention, and her head whipped around to see Orochimaru's assistant walking towards her. He stopped metres away from the bristling wolf with a smile on his face, eyes hard behind his glasses.

"Mori! It's been a while!" Kabuto said, earning a loud growl in return.

"Come now, I want to see that pretty face of yours" he continued as he walked closer.

In a blink Mori's human form stood in the wolf's place, and she rushed towards the sick-minded man with a kunai poised. He met her halfway with his own weapon, and smirked when he saw her red eyes wild. She got sloppy when she was this wild, which would be when he would strike. They both jumped back, and Mori rushed forward again with a cry.

"The only time you'll see my face is when I cut off your head!" Mori yelled.

Kabuto gave a short laugh, and this riled up the woman even more. Her swings became more erratic, and her pupils narrowed to slits. Kabuto smirked and feinted to the left, and when Mori followed he changed quickly and sliced along her ribs on her right side. Mori jumped back with a hiss and held her hand tightly to her side. His smirk grew even more, and when Mori lunged to attack him again Kabuto ducked and sliced down her other side. She let out a loud yelp and crashed to the ground onto her back. Blood trickled from the slices and onto the forest floor as Mori shakily got to her feet, swaying slowly.

"You're lucky I didn't aim for your internal organs. Lord Orochimaru wants you alive, which is why my blade is laced with a paralyzing agent" Kabuto sneered as he slowly walked towards Mori.

Her vision began to get blurry as she took a stumbling step forward. Her legs wouldn't cooperate with her mind! She had to move! The paralyzing agent was sweeping through her veins like a cold rain, and no matter how much she mentally fought it, her muscles began to freeze. Kabuto stalked up to the woman and with a flick of his wrist, backhanded Mori with a sharp crack. She flew back and skidded to a stop; her muscles now paralyzed. Her cheek began to redden from the impact as Kabuto walked over slowly to the limp woman. He knelt down and took her chin in his hand, lifting it with bruising force.

"Still so weak" he mocked before standing back up.

He indicated to one of the ninja to pick Mori up, and took off in the trees. Now that his mission was accomplished, Kabuto could look forward to the many experiments he could do to this woman. A sinister smirk pulled at his lips as he jumped from tree to tree. She had gotten away once before, but not anymore. He spared a quick look back to see Mori hanging limply over the shoulder of one of the ninja.

As night fell, the group came to a stop in front of a large cave. Kabuto opened the door, and everyone went in. Cold air blew past the group and Kabuto drank in the cries and screams of his many experiments in different rooms. Kabuto gestured to the ninja holding Mori to come with him, and opened a door before going in. Hisses could be heard through the room, and Kabuto walked in as his Lord waited for him on his altar. The snake man almost seemed to hiss in pleasure when his gold eyes spotted the woman hanging from the ninja's shoulder.

"My Lord Orochimaru, the mission was a success" Kabuto said as he kneeled before the snake man.

A raspy chuckle reached his ears as he stood back up.

"Very good, Kabuto. Put her with the others, but make sure to keep her there" Orochimaru mused.

His eyes glanced over at a young man with long, black hair. He sat on his knees with his hands in his lap and head bowed, as if in prayer. His eyes were closed, and Orochimaru felt a smile tug at his mouth. This young man was a fascinating specimen: wolf and man together. He had the brother..and now he had the sister.

His plan was all coming together.


	23. Chapter 23

**I hope everyone enjoys this chapter!**

Water dripped nearby, and a mind-numbing cold kept seeped into her skin. Her wrists were shackled and the metal chaffed against her skin, rubbing it raw. Dried blood caked her skin and flaked off whenever Mori tried to move.

She bit her lip as tears threatened to fall. It felt like a cold fist was squeezing her heart steadily. She swore she would never return to this hell, and yet here she was. Mori woke up in this cell with her wrists shackled. She curled her knees up to her chest in an unconscious effort to keep warm when footsteps echoed outside her cell. Two ninja came to stand outside the cell bars.

"The wolfy chick is awake! Hey honey, want to spend some time with me?" one ninja said, and cackled along with his friend.

Mori barely batted an eye as they sauntered away, their laughs echoing throughout the chamber. A shiver went through her, and Mori pressed her forehead against her knees. Her wrists throbbed, and a small whimper escaped from her throat. A little voice in her mind began to nag Mori about giving up, to just lay here and accept her fate. Orochimaru had her presumably still-alive mother, her brother, and now her. She had nowhere to go, nowhere to run. She couldn't run. Her red eyes closed, and her mind began to swirl with thoughts of her pack.

"I'm sorry everyone" Mori thought before drifting off.

"Well now, have we settled in alright? You gave us quite a little fight the other day" Kabuto's voice came through her mind.

Her eyelids fluttered open, but she continued to rest her forehead against her knees. A key rattled, and a sharp 'clank' echoed through the cell. Footsteps came closer to Mori and a hand grasped her white hair. Hard fingers yanked at her tendrils and forced her head back. Mori's glazed and unfocused red eyes met Kabuto's black eyes as he smirked down at her. He reached out with his other hand and grasped her shackled arm. Before Mori could blink, he wrenched her arm back and her eyes widened as pain raced down her limb. She clenched her teeth to keep a yell down.

"I will get to play with you soon" he said, releasing her arm and hair before walking out.

The cell door slammed shut, and Mori's head rolled forward as her bangs shielded her eyes. Her entire body felt like an empty shell. She felt numb.

Her eyes closed again.

"Mori! Mori! My baby girl, please wake up" a voice said in her ear.

Mori didn't want to. If she opened her eyes, she would have to deal with being part of Kabuto's experiments again. The voice continued again, and she felt her shoulder shaking.

"Mori, open your eyes" the voice said again.

Her eyelids twitched, and then slowly opened. A bleary image of a woman appeared in front of her, and Mori blinked slowly. The woman's image cleared, and Mori's eyes widened.

"Mother?" she whispered as the woman unlocked her shackles.

Her mother's hair was tied loosely at the back, and strands stuck to her forehead. Lines creased around her eyes and mouth, and her high cheekbones jutted out.

"How..." Mori trailed off as the shackles were removed, and Akemi placed gentle hands on her daughters face.

"I had some help from some friends of yours" her mother said as her thumbs rubbed small circles against Mori's cheekbones.

Mori tried to digest this information as she leaned into her mother's touch.

"Hideo...Hideo is here" Mori said as she struggled to her feet.

Her legs began to shake and she stumbled forward, but her mother caught her. Akemi guided her daughter out of the cell and down the hall that led out of the chamber.

"I know he is here. Orochimaru has him under a powerful jutsu" Akemi said as the two walked quickly, the sounds of yells, howls and battling echoing around them.

"I couldn't reach him" Mori whispered in shame as she hung her head.

Her mother tightened her grip on Mori as the mother and daughter pair made it out of the chamber and into another hallway. Animalistic snarls came from large hole in a wall, and Mori lifted her head to see Kakashi's ninja hounds battling against Orochimaru's ninja.

Her heart skipped a beat as her friends battled hard, and a flash of grey caught her eye. Apparently Kakashi was here as well.

"Let's go" Mori's mother said as she led her daughter out of the hole.

Mori squinted as the bright sunlight hit her eyes. A cool breeze caressed her skin, and the older woman quickly guided her daughter away from the snake man's lair. As soon as they reached the trees, Mori's legs gave out and she collapsed to the ground. Being in that cell had damaged her not just physically but mentally as well.

"Mori, come on. I need you to walk just a little bit further for me" Akemi urged as Mori closed her eyes.

No. She couldn't do it anymore. She didn't have the strength to go on.

"Mori, baby listen to me. I need you to shift now" her mother said, her voice holding an alpha-like tone.

With an inaudible groan, Mori weakly searched for her other chakra. A wolf could not go against their alpha's orders. Slowly she shifted, and she rested her furry head against a root of a large tree. Mori sighed weakly as she caught a glimpse of her mother shifting before closing her eyes. A large wet nose pressed against her cheek, and her mother huffed affectionately in her ear, causing it to faintly twitch. Her red eye opened slightly, and her mother's white and grey coat entered her vision as Akemi sat back on her haunches. She lifted her muzzle and howled, the notes ringing through Mori's ears and vibrating through her bones. With a painful whine, Mori got to her feet and lifted her own muzzle, adding her voice to her mother's howl.

Their two voices intertwined before tapering off. Her mother gazed at Mori before reaching over and lavishing her ears with her tongue. Akemi's ear twitched, and she turned around to gaze at the lair. She got to her paws and nudged her daughter. She persisted until Mori was slowly padding beside her. She had to get her daughter to safety, but Mori had to keep moving to get to safety. Her eyes narrowed as she noticed how Mori favoured her front leg as she limped heavily. Something must have happened back in the cell. The older wolf just hoped the village her daughter had told her about so many times as a pup was close by.

They would be safe there.


	24. Chapter 24

**Here is the next instalment of this fanfiction. Here we have some interaction with Akemi and Kakashi. I hope everyone enjoys.**

Pained whimpers escaped Mori's maw as she took one painful step after another. Her mother kept nudging her to keep moving, and it felt like lava was pouring down her front leg. She didn't want to move any more. Finally, the two padded through the gates of Konoha.

Her legs decided then to collapse, and Mori fell to her side with a ' _thump_ '. Akemi sniffed around her daughter's ear, causing it to twitch faintly. Her white and grey head suddenly snapped up, ears pressed forward and eyes hard. Mori's side rose and fell as sandals appeared in her vision.

"You look like you could've had better days" a smooth voice said above her.

A movement to her right caused Mori's head to rise weakly. Kakashi stood there with his hands in his pockets, and her mother sat down on her haunches.

"So, you are the one my daughter befriended when she was a pup" her mother's voice said as Mori laid her head back onto the ground.

"You have my gratitude for getting myself and Mori out of that prison" Alemi said, tongue lolling out of her mouth.

The Jonin scratched the back of his head and gave the older wolf a typical one-eyed smile.

"My pleasure" he said.

"Please follow me" the older wolf said, and got to her feet.

Akemi then began padding away, and Kakashi stooped down and gathered Mori in his arms before standing up. He then followed the alpha as she weaved through the trees that dotted the area. His eye narrowed when he felt his friends heartbeat through his sleeve: weak and thready. Her front leg hung at an awkward angle from the rest of her limbs, and every jostle caused a pained whine to come from Mori. Maybe it was broken? Kakashi shook his head. Who knew what she went through at the hands of Kabuto and Orochimaru.

Finally, Akemi stopped under the shade of a tree. It's branches hung low to the ground, almost giving it a curtain-like appearance. The grass was soft under her paws, and the gurgle of a stream could be heard nearby. Her ear twitched back when Kakashi walked up behind her.

"You may place Mori here" Akemi said and indicated to a spot under the low-hanging branches with her nose.

The Jonin complied, and placed her daughter carefully on the grass. Both sets of eyes narrowed when Mori didn't stir except for the rise and fall of her side as she breathed.

"I am not sure what Kabuto has done, but it looks like he has done some damage" Akemi rumbled.

"Just call if you need anything" Kakashi said and Akemi nodded, eyes still on her daughter.

The Jonin turned and left, and Akemi eased onto her stomach in the grass. The sky was beginning to darken with the coming of dusk, and one or two streaks of bright red still painted the sky. She inched her way close to Mori, and soon the two wolves were pressed close against each other. Akemi whined low in her throat and began lavishing her daughter's ears, neck and head with her tongue.

She would be here to take care of Mori, just like she did when Mori was a pup. Akemi settled her muzzle on her front legs and closed her eyes, drifting off into a deep slumber.

The wind stirred up dirt and loose branches as stumbling footsteps echoed through the empty streets of Konoha. Everyone was asleep in their beds.

Iruka sighed as he walked through the deserted streets. He couldn't sleep and decided to go for a walk in the night air. As he rounded the corner, he nearly let out a yelp in surprise when he came face to face with red eyes. He took a couple stumbling steps back before gaining his bearings.

"Mori! What are you doing here this late?" he said.

Iruka blinked when the young woman didn't answer. He took a closer look at her and began noticing how she was swaying back and forth, and that her eyes were glazed over. It was as if no one was there, and her body took on a mind of its own. Her hair was tousled from the wind, and her shirt hung off one shoulder. Even in the darkness Iruka could see a large and ugly-looking bruise beginning to form on her shoulder.

"Mori, wha-" Iruka started, but was cut off when the young woman's legs buckled.

He instinctively reached forward and grabbed Mori around her waist before she fell to the ground and injured herself even further. He lifted her into his arms, taking special care not to move her arm or shoulder. His heart gave a small skip when her head rested against his chest. Iruka quickly shook his head and quickly jumped up on the rooftops of Konoha. He went from roof to roof until he came to his place. Fishing his keys out, Iruka began to notice Mori's eyelids fluttering and twitching, while her body began to shake with small trembles. He rushed inside and carried Mori to his bed, tightly wrapping the blanket around her. What exactly happened to Mori?

Iruka scratched his head as he walked out of the bedroom. A small thought began to worm it's way into his mind about Mori being in his bed, and Iruka quickly squashed it down. This was no time for thoughts like that! He went to the small couch and sat down heavily. His body then decided to mention that it needed some sleep now, and the Chunin nodded off to sleep. He would find out what happened in the morning.


	25. Chapter 25

A howl worked its way into Iruka's ears as he lay on the couch, finally being able to fall asleep. He opened his eyes slowly, blinking against the sunlight. What happened? Why was he on the couch? Sleep still clung to his mind as he looked around.

His eye caught the sight of a limp figure in his bed, blankets tucked in against it tightly. Finally his mind began to clear, and he silently walked into his room to see his friend still lying in his bed. The bruise on her arm had spread, and was beginning to turn an ugly deep purple. Another howl sounded from outside, and he saw Mori's eyelids twitch slightly. More twitching occurred, and she took a shuddering breath. The howl tapered off, and her eyelids stilled.

"Mori? What happened to you?" Iruka murmured.

The young woman gave no answer as she lay still, her chest rising and falling slightly. Iruka sighed and walked out of the bedroom silently, his thoughts swirling in a mass of questions. The Chunin silently walked out of his house and barely caught himself when an older woman stood in front of his door. Her hair was tied back and wrinkles bordered her eyes. Her sharp cheekbones struck Iruka as seeming familiar. A light clicked in his head, and his mouth opened in an ' _oh_ '.

"You're Mori's mother!" he said, to which the older woman nodded.

"Yes, you may call me Akemi. You must be the boy that Mori also befriended" she said, her eyes scanning Iruka from head to toe.

"Yes, I was young when we became friends" the Chunin said, scratching the back of his head.

He would always remember the feeling of surprise, shock and awe when a young wolf spoke to him.

"Is my daughter in there?" Mori's mother asked, eyes trained on his face.

Iruka nodded and turned to open the front door, but was stopped when Mori's mother placed a hand on his arm.

"Don't worry. If my daughter decided to come to you then I am positive she will be okay here. She obviously feels safe around you" she said, a small smile creeping over her lips and softening her eyes.

Iruka nodded, and the woman turned around and before Iruka could blink, changed into a grey and white wolf. She took one last glimpse back at Iruka before padding off. He watched her disappear around the corner before letting out a sigh. A ' _thump_ ' sounded from inside his house, and Iruka hastily opened the door. He ran into his bedroom, where he saw Mori on her hands and knees on the floor. Her eyes were open wide and her mouth was etched in a silent snarl. Her red eyes were glazed over, and her pupils were thin black slits.

"Mori?" Iruka said hesitantly.

He didn't know what was happening or going to happen. He took a step closer, and Mori's eyes flashed to his. A deep growl rumbled through her chest, and before Iruka could blink Mori surrounded herself in blue chakra. In a matter of seconds a bristling wolf stood in his room. Iruka stood still in confusion, and then jumped out of the way as Mori rushed past him, her nails scratching on the floor. He recovered and ran out the front door, eyes narrowed in confusion.

What was happening? Why did Mori act like that?

Iruka lept onto a roof, eyes searching for his friend. A howl suddenly howled, and Iruka's head snapped toward the direction of the howl. He took off in the direction of the howl, and stopped short when he saw two wolves facing off. The growls clashed against each other as teeth began to show. Suddenly Mori's back legs bunched, and she sprang at her mother. Akemi answered with a roar and the two wolves clashed. Claws slasher and teeth ripped at fur. The air was thick with snarls, barks and vicious growling as mother and daughter fought.

Iruka stood rooted to his spot, unsure of what to do. If he didn't interfere, his friend could get hurt badly...but something inside told him that this had to be done.

Blood splashed onto the grass and Akemi grabbed her daughter by the scruff of her neck in her jaws. Mori struggled as her mother forced her onto her stomach. As Akemi continued to keep her daughter pinned, Mori's struggles became less and less. Finally, the white wolf became limp, fully submitting under her mother. Akemi gave Mori a brief lick between her ears and got off, shaking out her fur. She gave Iruka a brief glance before sitting on her haunches.

"You may approach now" she said in her smooth voice.

Iruka slowly walked to beside Akemi, his eyes trained on his friend lying on her stomach, eyes closed and ears laid back.

"What happened? Why was she attacking you?" Iruka asked.

Mori's mother was silent for a moment as a gust of wind ruffled her grey and white fur.

"Did Mori ever tell you what happened when Orochimaru and his men found our pack?" Akemi said, and Iruka looked at his friends mother in surprise.

"No...what happened?" he asked, and after a pregnant pause Akemi told the Chunin about the killings and torture.

Iruka swallowed back the bile that rose in his throat as he digested the information.

"Apparently Mori wanted to go out and destroy Kabuto and Orochimaru, and got quite angry with me when I wouldn't move out of the way" her mother said, tail twitching in amusement.

"So you two fought?"

"Yes. It was necessary for me to remind her who the alpha was" Akemi answered.

"I will watch her now. Thank you for taking care of her" she said, and got to her feet.

She slowly padded to her daughter as Iruka nodded. He started his trek back home as Akemi laid on her stomach. She rested her furry jaw on the grass beside Mori's front leg and closed her eyes. Whatever was happening had yet to release her daughter from its grasp.

Who knew when her daughter would be free from her inner demons?


	26. Chapter 26

Bird chirping rang through the trees the next day as the older wolf watched over her daughter. Mori had slept fitfully through the previous day and night; pained whimpers echoed from her as her claws scraped at the ground, gouging deeply into the ground. Her teeth flashed as if to battle an invisible foe.

As the sun rose high in the sky, her mother got up and padded closer to Mori and settled in beside her.

The scrabbling and whimpers stopped as Mori calmed down. Akemi watched as her sides rose and fell, but Mori would not wake. She bathed her ears and head and soon settled her muzzle close to her daughter's sleeping form. Mori still acted like a pup: always calming down when her mother was beside her. The alpha closed her eyes and fell into a light sleep as the sun beamed down on their coats.

A rustle caused Akemi's head to snap up, ears erect and eyes piercing through the bushes. A deep growl rumbled through the alpha as she got up, placing herself over her daughter's sleeping form. The fur on her back stood up as the wind changed, blowing past the pair. Akemi's nostrils flared, and she relaxed as her daughter's friend stepped out of the bushes.

The alpha padded towards the Chunin as he stopped in the middle, hands in his pockets. She stopped in front of him and in a blink, stood as a human woman in front of Iruka.

"How is everything?" he asked, blinking momentarily after getting over his shock.

He would never get used to seeing that sort of transformation. The older woman tucked a stray strand of hair away from her face, the lines etched deeply in her face. He frowned when he noticed the dark lines underneath her eyes and the way that her shoulder's sagged slightly. She looked tired and worn out.

"Why don't you go and relax? I can watch Mori" Iruka offered, giving the older woman a small smile.

Akemi gazed at Iruka for a moment before nodding.

"I will be back before night comes" she said before walking the way he came.

Iruka watched Akemi for a second before turning towards the slumbering white wolf. He gave a small sigh and walked towards Mori, the breeze gentle on his face. He sat down beside her as Mori continued sleeping. He blinked in surprise when he noticed the ground littered with claw marks.

"What happened?" Iruka mumbled to himself.

A bird suddenly streaked across the sky, screeching loudly. Iruka watched it go before turning his attention to his sleeping friend. He started in surprise when he noticed one eye open and focused on him. Mori snorted and lifted her head, yawning widely.

"Good to know you're still with us" Iruka said jokingly.

Mori stretched her front and back legs before sitting back on her haunches, gazing at the Chunin with red eyes.

"What happened?" she rumbled.

The last thing she remembered was escaping from Orochimaru's lair with her mother and entering Konoha. Everything after that went dark until her dreams became twisted and frightening. Snakes and smoke surrounded her and no matter how hard she fought, Mori couldn't break free. It wasn't until she felt her mother's presence that Mori finally calmed, and the snakes and smoke disappeared.

"You don't remember?" Iruka said in surprise.

Mori scratched behind a furry ear and shook out her coat.

"No I don't. It's all very confusing and blurry in my memories" she said.

"Well it's okay now, you escaped and are safe now" Iruka said with a large smile.

Mori gazed at the Chunin and gave a brief tail wag.

"Where is my mother?" she said, looking around.

"She looked weary so I suggested she go and rest" he said.

Mori raised her muzzle to sniff at the breeze that blew past them. Scenting nothing that could be a danger, Mori reached inside to grasp at the human chakra. Iruka blinked as Mori sat beside him as a human. Butterflies immediately took flight in his stomach as Mori gazed at him with her red eyes.

 _'Go on, ask her out!'_ a small voice in his mind yelled at him.

Stuttering, Iruka felt his face get warm as he tried to get his tongue around asking Mori to go with him for ramen. His heart began to pound as the girl was silent after he asked.

' _You messed it up, now Mori will never agree to go out'_ the voice chided.

Iruka nearly fell over when Mori's voice broke through his thoughts.

"Yes, I'll go with you" she said softly, giving him a smile that Iruka happily returned.

"Great!" Iruka said with a relived laugh.

The two sat in silence for a moment before Iruka stood up, and offered a hand for his friend. Mori took the offered hand with a small ' _thanks_ ' and brushed some stray grass blades off her pants. Her muscles groaned in protest as she began walking slowly towards the village, Iruka easily keeping with her pace. She bit her lip as her hip joints gave a small jolt of pain; being immobile for so long had made them tighten up.

As the two friends walked through the village, Iruka's mind began to wander. Where did she go that made her act like that? Did it have to do with the black wolf he saw?


	27. Chapter 27

Clearing his throat, Iruka stepped back from their embrace. If Mori wasn't feeling so down she would have chuckled at the red that coloured his cheeks and nose.

"Let's go" Mori said warmly.

Iruka nodded and led her into the crowded Konoha streets. People were out in the warm evening air, gathering groceries or having fun. Smells drifted through the air, and children laughing echoed all around them. It calmed Mori's nerves and soothed her soul. Even as a young pup Mori enjoyed children. They always wanted to pet her fur and play with her.

A hand suddenly tugged on hers, snapping Mori out of her thoughts. She blinked in surprise and looked up to see Iruka grinning at her.

"This way! I want to show you something" he said excitedly.

Mori nodded breathlessly as she watched Iruka's face almost glow in excitement. She nodded and allowed Iruka to lead her to his destination. They weaved through the crowds and soon, Iruka led her to the top of a cliff. He indicated for her to look out, and when Mori did she gasped in awe. The cliff overlooked all of Konoha. Streetlights glittered like fireflies and contrasted with the darkening sky. Stars began to glitter above, and the noises of the streets were muted. Mori couldn't tear her eyes away from the serene sight. She missed the adored look that Iruka gave her as he watched her.

If he didn't do anything he would lose his nerve.

He laid his hand gently on her shoulder, breaking Mori out of her trance. Mori blinked and her brows knitted in slight confusion as Iruka stepped closer. Her heart began to pound as his face became closer and closer. Soon, their lips were a breath apart. Something inside Mori's head screamed at her to move closer, and she compiled. Their lips touched, and a small electric shock ran through both bodies. Mori took a step closer, her mind gone blank. Her senses were swimming with Iruka's scent as it washed over her. His lips were a contradiction: hard and firm, but soft and gentle at the same time.

The two young adults molded their lips together and soon, Mori felt something slide along her bottom lip. A thrill went through her when she realized it was Iruka asking permission with his tongue. Without thinking, Mori opened her mouth in acceptance. His tongue brushed against her own, and a shiver ran down her spine. Her tongue shyly brushed against his own and Mori began to get bolder.

A small growl echoed from her chest as their tongues began battling for dominance. Iruka's hands clasped her shoulders and skimmed down to stop at her waist. Mori brought her arms up and rested them against his vest. His heart thudded strongly against her palm.

A choking feeling began to seize her chest and they broke apart, taking in gulps of air. Iruka still kept his hands on her waist as Mori gazed at his face. Night had fully come, and the sounds of Konoha crept back into their ears. Iruka let out a quiet chuckle as he leaned his forehead against hers. She closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of his strong heart beat.

"I've been waiting to do that" Iruka breathed.

Mori blinked, shock and confusion on her face.

"Really?" Mori murmured, and Iruka nodded.

"Yeah. Since I first saw you standing in the streets of Konoha" he said, and brought his lips to hers again.

A couple hours later, Mori was padding down the street as a white wolf. Iruka and her had spent some more time together on top of the cliff before she left to wander around by herself.

She stopped at a small training ground and decided then to do some training. Nervous energy was running through her body and she had no way of getting it out. Practice dummies were placed around the training ground, and with a growl Mori went at them. Punch after punch helped to drain the energy, and after she attacked the dummies as the wolf. If she were to free her brother, she had to get stronger.

The sun was rising in the sky by the time Mori stopped. She was sitting on the grass from doing sit-ups as a bird flew across the sky. Panting hard, she blinked sweat out of her eyes and stood up. Dirt and bits of grass clung to her legs as she took a few wobbly steps in the direction of the awakening village. She took a step and grunted as her foot caught a tree root. Without thinking, she became the wolf and landed on her four paws. Mori shook out her fur and sighed.

She needed sleep.

She padded out of the small training ground and into the village, looking for a place to sleep. Konoha was beginning to wake, and people were beginning to start their day.

She continued padding down the streets as the sun rose higher. Her heart skipped a beat as the memory of Iruka's lips on her own played in her mind. Her pants became louder and deeper as a deep ache settled in her bones, and her muscles ached. Mori battled to keep her eyes open, and her head drooped low.

She padded into the forest to look for a place to sleep, and following her nose Mori found a small nook in a hollowed-out tree. She squeezed her white body through until she got comfortable. Settling down, she sighed and closed her eyes.

' _Am I putting Iruka in danger by being with him?'_ Mori thought before sleep completely consumed her.


	28. Chapter 28

**I hope everyone enjoys this next chapter.**

Shifting, Mori stretched out in her sleep. Something was nagging her at the back of her mind and no matter how many times she pushed down the voice, it kept coming back. Something, or someone, was coming. With a huff, Mori opened her eyes and slowly lifted her head. Ears twitching, she gazed around the area where she slept. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, and it left her confused.

Snorting, she got up on her four paws and padded out, intent on finding food. She followed her nose as it began leading her to a rabbit when another scent caught her attention. Mori whined in confusion when her mothers scent began mixing with another scent.

Her red eyes widened when Akemi's scent mixed began mixing with Iruka's and... _Hideo_. He was here!

But something was wrong. The scent of blood began creeping in, and with a snarl Mori sprang in the direction of her mother and the man she thought of with adoration. Branches snagged and plucked at her fur as she continued running through the trees. She willed her paws to go faster when the scent of blood got stronger. Mori burst through the trees and stopped dead when she saw her mother as a wolf lying on the ground and Iruka standing in front of her, kunai drawn. Her brother stood a couple metres away, teeth flashing and blood staining his bluish black coat. Her mother's ear twitched as Mori growled low and deep. Her one eye opened to gaze at her daughter.

"Mori! What are you doing here" Akemi huffed as she struggled to get to her feet.

A large wound on her shoulder and back prevented her from moving that much, and she sank back down to the ground.

Mori stalked around to circle her brother, echoing her brother's growl with her own. Iruka glanced at the two wolves circling each other, their growls vibrating against his eardrums.

"Who is the black wolf?" he murmured to the injured older wolf behind him.

"My son, Hideo. Orochimaru has him under a powerful jutsu" Akemi panted as she painfully got to her feet.

"What?! You mean that's Mori's brother?" he said, turning to her with wide eyes.

The grey and black wolf nodded, eyes locked on both her children. It pained the older wolf to see them circling each other. This was not her kind and mischievous son that her and her mate had raised. This was a monster, a killing machine that was created by Orochimaru. A snarl broke the wolf and Chunin out of their thoughts as Hideo lunged at his sister. Black and white clashed and claws slashed. Iruka made a move to interfere, but Akemi quickly stepped in front of him.

"No! Don't interfere" she growled, eyes narrowed as she continued watching the two.

A yelp caught their attention as Hideo caught Mori's front leg in his teeth. He bit down and his teeth pierced her flesh. Blood flowed freely as Mori struggled to free herself. She whipped around and fastened her teeth to Hideo's shoulder. The siblings struggled against each other to over-power each other.

Both broke apart and reared up, clashing and slashing at each other with sharp claws. Blood splattered as the siblings continued to fight. Iruka gritted his teeth as he watched the woman he affectionately thought of getting attacked by her brother. A shriek caused his eyes to snap to Mori to see her on her back with Hideo over her. He had gotten hold of her vulnerable stomach and blood was streaming from the wound.

He made a quick decision and threw a kunai at the black wolf, and it embedded itself into the wolf's back leg. Hideo yelped loudly and released Mori. Mori struggled to her feet as Hideo reached for the knife in his leg.

Panting from the pain, Mori placed herself in front of Iruka as Hideo narrowed his eyes at the Chunin, growling low and vicious. Mori answered with a growl of her own. She would not allow Hideo to touch Iruka. She snarled as Hideo tried to move around Mori, and even if pain was racing through her veins Mori would protect Iruka and her mother. Hideo's legs bunched, and he raced toward his sister. Mori braced herself, but at the last moment Hideo changed direction. He zoomed toward Iruka and Akemi, and Mori sprang after him.

' _No!_ ' her mind screamed as Iruka braced himself for the oncoming wolf.

Iruka took out another kunai, but before he could blink, a grey and black blur appeared in front of him as Akemi threw herself in front of her son. She bit and slashed at her son even though it pained Akemi deeply. In the corner of her eye she saw her daughter standing beside Iruka, swaying slightly from her injuries. That one moment was enough for Hideo to sneak in. In a flash, he grabbed his mother by her throat and bit in deep.

Akemi's scream was cut short and blood gurgled through her jaws. Mori's head snapped towards her mother, and shock coursed through her body. In a flash she changed to her human body, screaming and scrambling towards her mother.

Hideo dropped his mother and stood back, watching with empty eyes. Akemi dropped to the ground with a dull 'thud', and blood gushed from her throat wound.

"NO! Mother!" Mori screamed and rushed to her mother's side.

Her red eyes swam with tears as she inspected her mother's body. Blood was everywhere, and a small part of Mori's brain knew the wound was fatal even though she didn't want to believe it. Her hands shook as she gathered her mother's body against hers, not paying attention to her stomach wound. Her tears spilled over and rolled down her cheeks as her mother's breathing gurgled.

"Mother please don't die. Don't leave me now that we're free" she said against her mother's fur.

Akemi's eyes opened briefly. She knew she was dying, but Akemi didn't mind. She had gotten free, and was with her daughter. She didn't blame her son; he was being controlled.

"Mori, take care of yourself. Don't blame your brother, blame Orochimaru. Let yourself be loved, and love in return" Akemi murmured, feeling her life ebbing away.

"Iruka, take care of Mori. She needs to feel love again" Akemi said as Iruka knelt beside the dying alpha.

The Chunin nodded solemnly. Akemi, feeling satisfied, closed her eyes and breathed her last. Mori's eyes widened as her mother's lifeless body began to cool. Her shoulders shook as sobs racked through her body. Iruka held her close as Mori clutched her mother's fur. He looked up briefly, noting how the black wolf had taken off into the forest. He tightened his grip on the grieving woman as she continued wailing, her tears beginning to dampen his vest.

After a couple minutes, Mori released her mother's body. Her eyes were puffy as she gazed at the Chunin beside her.

"Help me please" she murmured, and gestured for him to carry her mother's body to a small grove of trees.

One of the trees had fallen over, exposing the roots underneath. The hole was large, and Mori indicated for Iruka to place her mother in the hole. Her pack always buried their dead in the ground. To them, they were giving back to the Earth. Akemi would have wanted nothing else. Mori bowed her head as she gazed at her mother one last time. With a sigh, she turned back and started walking towards the village.

Iruka followed and the two walked in a sad silence, both hearts heavy.


	29. Chapter 29

**I hope everyone had a good holiday! I know I did. This includes a lemon in the chapter, so if you don't like reading lemons, please don't read.**

Mori walked around Konoha with a sense of numbness in her limbs. Her mother was gone, her father was gone, her entire pack was gone, and Hideo should be considered gone too. She couldn't reach through to him. She was alone in this world, with no alpha to lead or guide her. Iruka had gone to check on something with the academy, leaving Mori to her treacherous thoughts. He gave her permission to take shelter in his small apartment, and Mori had a good intention of using his permission.

The sun was high in the sky when Mori stumbled up the steps to Iruka's front door. She lifted a trembling hand to open the front door when it opened by itself. Mori was briefly shocked before she saw a familiar face. Iruka smiled gently at the grieving woman and took her hand in his.

"I finished at the academy early so I decided to come home early. Please come in" he said and let Mori in.

As Iruka closed the door behind her, she took everything in; it acted as a balm on her sorrowful soul.

"Would you like something to eat or drink?" he said quietly.

"No...no thank you" Mori murmured and wandered aimlessly around the apartment as Iruka busied himself.

She sat down heavily on a chair and held her head in her hands. Her head felt heavy and stuffed, as if someone had stuffed it with pounds upon pounds of cotton and wool. Cool wetness raced down her cheeks and Mori dumbly reached for her cheek. Her fingers came away wet with her tears. She bowed her head and let her tears fall freely. They fell and landed on the floor with a small ' _plip_ ', and her shoulders shook with small sobs. She didn't notice Iruka come to kneel beside her.

"Mori?" he spoke in a quiet whisper and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I have no one. My entire pack is gone forever" she cried, hiccuping every so often.

Iruka stumbled back as Mori threw herself on the Chunin and cried heavily, entire body shaking with the force of each sob. His arms encircled her back, holding Mori to him as she cried herself out. After what seemed like hours, Iruka felt Mori relax in his grasp. He leaned back enough to look at her face. Her eyes were closed, and her cheeks were stained with the tracks of her tears. Mori opened her eyes and gazed into his dark eyes. It felt like if she moved, she would break and shatter into millions of tiny pieces. She grasped the material of his vest tightly in her hands as she opened her mouth.

"Please...don't leave me" she whispered with a shaky voice.

Iruka blinked and gave her a warm and gentle smile. He covered her hand with his own, encompassing it in warmth.

"I'm not going anywhere" he said, and Mori crashed her lips on his.

Iruka blinked in surprise at the woman's bold actions, but soon found himself molding his lips against hers. Before long, Mori felt herself being lifted up by strong arms and she gasped in surprise. Her world spun and she gasped when she felt a mattress underneath her. She gazed up at the Chunin above her, eyes unsure and nervous. Mori smiled gently and cupped his cheek in her hand.

"Please..." she whispered, and reached down slowly to pluck at his vest.

Iruka got the message and the vest was shed along with his shirt. Mori's red eyes travelled across his slight muscular build, greedily taking it all in. She needed this or else she would go mad. She sat up and brought her hands to the hem of her long shirt. With a grin Mori slowly brought the shirt over her head and threw it in a random direction. Her cheeks began to heat up when she noticed Iruka's gaze zero in on her breast band. She never needed a bra due to her smaller chest size, so a breast band suited Mori just fine. With a slight giggle, Mori noticed Iruka's rapidly growing excitement. It was Iruka this time who leaned in and brushed his lips with hers, and Mori let out a sigh of contentment.

Mori felt small shocks of arousal course through her body as his hands came up, gently cupping her breasts through the material. His thumbs brushed against her nipples, and her back arched. She let out a small gasp as Iruka continued his ministrations, and her hips started moving on their own accord. Iruka let out a groan as her thigh brushed against his quickly hardening manhood.

He quickly brought her hips to a stop, causing the woman underneath him to groan in frustration. If Mori continued, this would end before it even began. With a huff, Mori quickly shed her pants and threw them off the bed. She reached out and wound her arms around Iruka's neck, bringing his mouth to hers. Lips clashed against each other and tongues battled for dominance.

Arousal blazed through both people as they continued their battle, and Iruka quickly shed his pants along with his underwear. Mori broke away from Iruka with a gasp as his hand came up and gently ran his finger across her womanhood.

She threw back her head against the pillow as mind-numbing pleasure crashed through her body. Breathy moans escaped her lips and echoed through the room as Iruka continued. Pleasure was already making her wet and willing, and this almost caused Iruka to lose it.

"Please Iruka...I need.." Mori gasped out as he continued, but cried out when Iruka dragged his manhood against her.

She bit her lip as her body heated up to dangerous degrees. A deep moan echoed from Iruka as he continued, and Mori let out a whimper. She needed him now.

"Iruka" she whispered, gazing in his dark eyes.

With a nod, Iruka thrust all the way into her body causing Mori to let out a yelp as her body protested. He stilled as a few tears escaped from Mori's eyes and slid down her cheeks. His body trembled; begging him to move as heat encased him. Iruka looked down at the woman writhing beneath him and gently cupped her face in his hand. She opened her eyes and gave him a tiny smile, silently telling him it was alright.

With a sigh he slid out and thrust back in, hearing breathy gasps from the woman who held his heart since she first came back to Konoha. Before long, Mori was moaning loudly as pleasure replaced pain. Something was beginning to coil like a snake in Mori's belly, and she was sure it would burst soon. Her hands wound around Iruka, holding the male to her as he continued thrusting. Her breath caught in her throat when Iruka gave a particularly deep thrust of his hips, and she could definitely see stars. If he continued she would unhinge.

The snake-like coil began to wrap itself tighter and tighter, and with a gasp Mori felt her muscles tightening.

"I-Iruka! I'm...I'm.." Mori started, but the coil broke inside her.

Her scream of release tapered into a howl as her muscles clenched around Iruka. With two more deep thrusts, Iruka released himself into Mori. After a couple seconds of breathing hard, Iruka rolled off of Mori and the two laid in silence. Heavy breathing echoed through the bedroom as both came down from their high peaks.

Mori turned on her side and pressed her cheek against Iruka's sweat-slicked shoulder. Her soul felt restored now that she was with the man she had begun to love since she was a young pup. With a sigh she closed her eyes.

Maybe now she could begin to heal.


	30. Chapter 30

Shifting, Mori grunted softly as soft sunlight drifted across her closed eyelids. She felt the bed sheets wrapped tightly around her body, and allowed her muscles to relax. Her memory of the night before played in her minds eye, and Mori opened her eyes.

Blinking, she turned her head to the side. A soft smile drifted across her lips when she saw Iruka sleeping soundly beside her.

Warmth spread through her body when she watched the young man sleeping. Mori shifted onto her side and allowed the comfort of the sheet and the body heat of the man that held her affection absorb into her body. Her red eyes closed and she fell back asleep.

A couple minutes later, Iruka woke to the sound of birds chirping. He sat up slowly and stretched as sunlight streamed through the window. He looked over to the side and smiled. The woman who he had liked since he was a kid lay on her side, breathing evenly in her sleep. Her white hair lay across her face, and it was relaxed and angelic in her sleep.

He reached over and gently brushed a few strands of hair away from Mori's face. He leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss on her cheek and quietly got out of bed.

Iruka quickly got dressed and headed out his front door. He needed to get to the academy and teach his students.

As Iruka headed towards the academy, he let a smile stretch across his face. The sun was out, the sky was clear and everything seemed brighter. He let out a light laugh and if people weren't out he would definitely start skipping.

Mori shifted onto her back as she opened her eyes. She blinked and turned her head, gazing at the empty spot beside her. Frowning slightly, Mori sat up in the bed slowly, holding the blanket to her. Oh, that was right! Iruka had to teach at the academy. She smiled slightly and inched her way off the bed. Her muscles protested slightly as she stood up and retrieved her clothes.

Her stomach rumbled in hunger, and as she got dressed she gazed out the window. The sky was a bright blue, and fluffy clouds floated by. She opened the front door and stepped through, brushing a few strands of hair away from her eyes. Her heart lifted as the sound of children laughing flowed through the open door. Mori began walking towards the training fields, mind set on hunting for her meal. As she continued walking, she called upon her wolf chakra and allowed herself to transform mid-step.

A few seconds later, Mori was standing on four paws. She shook out her fur and trotted into the trees, ears and nose alert.

A scent floated past her muzzle, making her nostrils flare. A rabbit was nearby, and her stomach rumbled in hunger. She followed her nose until she was almost upon the small mammal, and stood still as it's ears twitches back and forth. A twig snapped, and the rabbit took off and Mori sprang after it. Her paws thundered against the ground as she chased after the rabbit. The rabbit twisted and turned, trying to lose the wolf but Mori kept barreling towards it.

Finally, she caught it and quickly ended its life with a quick bite. Blood rushed into her mouth as she dropped the lifeless body to the forest ground. She lifted her muzzle and howled her successful hunt before tucking into her meal. Cleaning her muzzle free of blood Mori padded through the forest, enjoying the sounds of the forest. She found a smooth rock that jutted out from the ground and hopped on it. She dropped on her stomach and rubbed and wiggled onto her back, paws and tail flying in the air. This was the first time she felt happy in what seemed like a very long time.

She snorted in amusement; she was acting like a pup. She came to a rest on her side as footsteps approached. Her nostrils flared when the scent of her friend came up behind her.

"You seem happy today" Kakashi's voice came in a teasing tone.

Mori's tail wagged once as she growled quietly.

"I feel lighter today, even though my mother is gone" Mori said as she rolled onto her other side, facing the Jonin.

He smiled with his typical one-eyed smile.

"You and Iruka seem to be getting closer" he said casually, and Mori snorted.

"He is a good man. I like him...very much" Mori rumbled.

Kakashi grunted and stuffed his hands in his pockets. Mori's red eyes gazed at her friend steadily.

"Just be careful. I don't want your brother or Orochimaru using Iruka to get to you" he said calmly.

Mori's front lip lifted slightly, teeth shining in the sunlight.

"Just let them try. Orochimaru got me once, but he will not get me or Iruka again" she growled, fur bristling.

"I know" Kakashi said, and patted Mori on the head.

Mori grumbled but laid her head on her front paws.

Indeed, she would protect Iruka and her friends from Orochimaru.


	31. Chapter 31

Yawning widely, Mori padded through the forest that surrounded the training grounds of Konoha. Her mind wouldn't stop whirling with ideas of Hideo finding and attacking Iruka. Her mind kept up the images, keeping her up all night.

Finally Mori decided to walk through the village and forest in the early morning and through the majority of the day, hoping exercise would take her mind off of her brother. Her limbs began to burn as she continued her continuous trek, and her tongue hung out of her mouth. The sound of water reached her ears and Mori stopped, panting hard. The water would feel amazing on her limbs, and Mori followed the sound of the water.

She broke through the foliage and came to see a river flowing in front of her. A sharp throb had begun to resonate in her front paw; she had stepped on a thorny vine and one of the barbs had stuck in deeply. With a slight limp in her step, she padded to the river and slowly dipped her body into the water. The rivers water tugged at her coat and it's frigid temperature numbed the ache in her limbs. Mori dipped her muzzle and took a long drink. The water rushed down her throat, sending shivers down her spine. Small fish darted around her paws, and with a small bit of giddy happiness Mori jumped around them. Water splashed around her and the fish scattered everywhere, frightened from the giant creature above them.

After a while, Mori stopped splashing and nimbly lifted herself out of the river. She shook out her coat, sending water droplets in all directions. Her limbs were still numb and small shakes had begun to make it hard to walk. With a sigh she stretched out onto her stomach, the sun beating down on her back. Her paw had begun to start hurting again, and she tucked it in close and began the simple minded task of licking it.

The sun became covered with clouds, and Mori lifted her head from licking her paw. She sighed and stood up, stretching her front and back legs out. She shook out her fur one last time and took off towards the village. She reached in and changed into her human form. The area that the thorn had pierced into her hand had turned red and angry-looking, and Mori sighed. She would have to get it out somehow.

As she continued walking through the village and picking at the thorn, her mind started to wander. Mori would definitely need to continue training to get stronger to defeat Orochimaru. Defeating Orochimaru meant hopefully getting Hideo back.

"Mori? Hey! What are you doing? What happened to your hand? Did you injure it?" a hyper voice sounded in front of her.

Mori blinked and smiled when she saw Naruto in front of her. His blue eyes seemed deeper and larger then when she first met him, hanging upside down from a tree. She smiled as his eyes grew wider when he noticed her hand.

"Hello Naruto. I was out for a run and seemed to injure my hand. It's just a minor injury, don't worry" she said, smiling as Naruto nodded.

"Good. Have you seen Iruka-sensei? He owes me ramen from the last time I went on a mission" Naruto groused, looking around for his academy instructor.

Mori smiled and shook her head.

"No I'm sorry. I've been out of the village since last night" she said, her eyes having a far away look as she gazed above the blonde hair.

"Mori? Mori! Hello!" Naruto's annoyed voice broke through the woman's thoughts, and she looked down to his bright eyes and spared him an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry Naruto, my mind was elsewhere" she murmured.

"Oh! There he is! Hey Iruka-sensei! You owe me some ramen remember?" Naruto yelled as he waved to his academy instructor behind Mori.

"Yes, I did remember Naruto how could I forget?" Iruka laughed as he came up beside Mori.

She gave him a glance before her attention was grabbed by the hyper blonde in front of her. He was almost vibrating in excitement.

"Can we go now? I'm starving!" Naruto said, jumping up and down.

"Not at the moment Naruto. I have a lot of work to do, maybe tomorrow?" Iruka said with an apologetic smile.

Naruto huffed and crossed his arms, an annoyed expression on his face.

"Fine" he grumped and stalked away, muttering under his breath.

Mori chucked at the boy's actions but stopped when Iruka placed an hand on her shoulder.

"Where were you last night?" Iruka murmured, and Mori sighed at the warmth of his hand.

"I had some thinking to do" she said softly, looking into his dark eyes.

He nodded, but blinked when he noticed her red and angry hand.

"What happened?" Iruka said, taking her hand gently in his and lifting her palm towards his face.

"Just a small and minor injury. I stepped on a thorn when I was in the forest" she said, tugging her hand back to her side.

"We need to get it out so your hand can heal properly. Come with me back to my apartment and I can take out the thorn" he said, turning to walk towards his apartment.

Mori blinked and jogged to catch up.

Heavy pants echoed through the small bedroom as the two adults moved against each other. Mori released a loud groan as Iruka gave a particularly deep thrust with his hips. Before he could blink, Mori rolled them over and grinned down at the handsome Chunin below her.

His teeth clenched as Mori clenched her internal muscles around him. His hands gripped her hips as she moved them back and forth, and Mori threw back her head with a cry as Iruka pressed his finger against her pleasure button. A visible ripple went through her body as her chin came forward to rest on her chest. Her eyes squeezed shut as Iruka thrusted harder, making both moan loud at the pleasurable feeling.

"Please..." Mori whimpered as their bodies continued rocking together.

Her orgasm hit her like a lightning bolt, and she cried out loudly as her internal muscles clenched painfully around Iruka. He grunted and gave three more deep thrusts before spilling inside Mori. She shuddered from the feeling and collapsed on top of Iruka. Their heavy breathes echoed in the bedroom as they came down from their individual highs.

Mori rested her cheek on Iruka's collarbone as her breathing went back to normal.

"We still need to get that thorn out" Iruka laughed, and Mori giggled as she pressed her face against his neck.


	32. Chapter 32

A yelp sounded in the small bedroom as the intrusive thorn was finally removed from Mori's hand. Mori grumbled as she massaged the sore area as Iruka disposed of the thorn, laughing lightly at the woman sitting on his bed. He got some bandages and wrapped it gently around Mori's injured hand, and then gently kissed the area when he was done. Mori smiled at the Chunin as he got dressed, her gold eyes following his every move.

Sleep nagged at the back of her mind, but she brushed it aside. The two adults had tussled in Iruka's bed all night, and her muscles developed a slow burn from the intimate actions.

"How are you feeling?" Iruka asked as Mori massaged her sore shoulder.

"I'll be okay, though I didn't know you had it in you" Mori joked, winking at the blushing Chunin.

She giggled and eased herself off of the bed, picking up her pants from the floor. Her shirt was hanging over the side of a chair, and she shrugged it on. Mori brushed a hand through her messy hair with annoyance as Iruka zipped up his vest.

"Naruto is leaving with Jiraiya tomorrow morning to find the Hokage's student. The village elders have determined that she'd be the next Hokage" Iruka murmured to Mori as she walked beside him.

Mori gazed at the Chunin and bit her lip when she saw his dark eyes worried. Even though Naruto was no longer his student, Iruka still worried about the hyper blonde. Mori placed her hand on his shoulder, and the man looked at her.

"He'll be fine, Iruka. He has a strong spirit and never ending determination. Besides, you taught Naruto all he knows" Mori said gently, earning her a small smile in thanks.

"The village needs a Hokage" Mori said as she walked towards the front door.

"I guess" Iruka said as he followed the woman out the door before locking it.

The sun was shinning and Mori breathed in deep, the smells of the village entering her nose. She raised her arms over her head and pulled them, feeling the muscles stretching. Iruka gently grasped her hand in his, and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Mori gazed at Iruka as he gave her a sad smile.

"I have to go teach at the academy" Iruka said, and Mori nodded.

The young children needed an education in order to be good ninja. Mori turned to be on her way, but Iruka tugged her hand. Mori gave a small grunt in surprise and was about to open her mouth to ask what was wrong, but Iruka pressed his lips to hers in a brief kiss. Her eyes fluttered shut as she enjoyed the feeling of his lips on hers, but Iruka pulled away too soon. His forehead rested against hers as they breathed each other in.

"I'll see you tonight" Iruka murmured, and Mori opened her eyes to meet his dark ones.

Her lips quirked into a half smile, her eyes holding a challenge.

"I thought you were meeting Naruto for ramen?" she said in a low voice.

"We can see each other after ramen" he said.

"Hm, you'll be there for quite a while" Mori laughed and stepped back. "Don't you have some teaching to do?"

"Wha-crap! I'm going to be late!" Iruka exclaimed and jumped away onto the rooftops.

Mori smirked in amusement and began walking through the village. Her bare feet padded on the ground as she ambled about, looking at shops and vendors. Families walked back and forth, going about their day. Children's laughter echoed in the air, and Mori found herself smiling. A soft breeze came and blew past Mori, tickling her skin. She walked away as the breeze continued blowing and suddenly froze, sniffing at the scents the air brought with it. An elderly man stood a ways away from her, and Mori growled slightly. This man had death and deceit embedded into his soul.

Mori huffed and continued walking towards the elderly man, intent on passing him by and continuing on her way. As she got closer, the smell of deceit grew even stronger. Mori quickly glanced at the strange man standing in her way. One eye was covered in an eye patch, and he had a large scar on his face. As Mori drew up beside the man, he leaned in close and grasped her arm tightly. Mori let out a growl, but it died in her throat when the man opened his mouth to speak.

"I know a way of getting your older brother back to you" he said in a low voice.

Mori's eyes widened in shock, and her heart plunged deep into her stomach. A way to get Hideo back? She swallowed hard as the elderly man turned to face her fully. He smirked when he saw her stunned expression. Mori shook her head and whipped her arm back from his grasp. This man smelled of death, and nothing good could come from this man.

 _But...Hideo..._

"Follow me if you want to get your brother back" he said, and turned around before walking away.

Mori's mind spun like a tornado with the prospects of getting Hideo back. Something about this man screamed bad news, but Mori desperately wanted her brother back. She growled and took off after the elderly man. When she got close, he stopped and turned towards her. His smirk was evil and sadistic as he eyed the woman standing there. Wolf and human chakras intertwined together in one body. A powerful weapon to say the least!

"Who are you" Mori said, eyes narrowed.

"You may call me Danzo. Now come along, we have much to do!" Danzo said with excited glee.

Mori bit back a reply as this Danzo turned and continued walking. She looked behind her at the street vendors and laughing children.

' _Forgive me, Iruka_ ' she thought before jogging to catch up.

The two walked in silence for what seemed like hours. Clouds began to move in and cover the sky, darkening everything. Her mind spun with ideas of having Hideo back, Iruka safe, even Team 7 and Kakashi being safe. Mori blinked when they stopped in front of a large intricate door. Danzo stamped his cane on the floor and the door opened, revealing nothing but darkness. He started walking into the darkness, and Mori hesitated.

"Well? Are you coming or not?" Danzo said, and Mori gritted her teeth before walking into the darkness.

The blackness swallowed their figures and it pressed against her skin. Mori took small breaths as it felt like the stale air was invading her lungs. They continued walking down a dark corridor to another door; this one with bars going the entire length of the door vertically. Danzo nodded to a hooded figure that was standing in front of the door, and it nodded back before making a hand sign. The door opened and the two walked in, the door slamming closed behind the two. Mori looked around, confused as four more hooded figures appeared.

One suddenly disappeared and reappeared in front of her, slamming a metal square onto her chest. Wires flew from the square and embedded itself into her skin. Mori flew back and hit the wall with a yelp. A dark laugh echoed in the room and Mori looked up to see Danzo standing above in a stone-fashioned balcony.

He snapped his fingers, and electric shocks exploded from the metal square. A scream was ripped from her throat, and Mori thrashed on the ground as electric shocks ran through her body.

"If you want to retrieve your brother, you'll have to get through this test of mine!" Danzo said, laughing loudly through Mori's screams.


	33. Chapter 33

It seemed like years had gone by, but in fact it was only a couple hours. Blood had splattered along the floor and walls as Mori continued battling against the electric shocks. The wires had dug into her skin and muscles deeply, and no amount of thrashing could dislodge them. Her throat was burning from the amount of cries and screaming that was forced from her throat. Her muscles felt as if they were ripping apart bit by bit and her bones were being smashed to small pieces.

Her fingers clutched at the metal square that was attached to her, but her nails couldn't rip it free. Blood filled her mouth and dribbled down her chin as her body contorted painfully on the cold ground. The electricity wouldn't allow her body to shift, and she was left to endure the pain in her human form.

Danzo had continued to watch the young woman rolling around on the ground in pain with an amused yet pitied look on his scarred face. This young woman who so foolishly agreed to come with him was the very product he was looking for. Yes, Danzo would reign her in and use her as a tool to rule this village.

A human-wolf killing machine at his disposal. When he set her loose on the village, he would come in to save Konoha and would be regarded as a hero. No one but Danzo and the hooded figures knew how to get the metal square off the woman.

But her two chakras were fighting against the contraption he had created, which was a problem. He would continue pushing until they both broke. Nonetheless, Danzo would continue this treatment until the deed was done.

"Come and get me when she breaks" he said to the masked figure standing watch beside him.

With a nod from the figure, Danzo turned and walked into a passageway that led out of the building. The woman's screams died down as he continued down the passage, and disappeared when he walked outside. Darkened clouds covered the sky, and a cold wind blew across Danzo, tugging at his clothes. Shrugging against the wind, Danzo continued his way to the Hokage building. A small smile tugged at his weathered lips. No one would know of his little experiment, and this was the way he wanted it to be. As he entered his office in the Hokage building, a thrill of glee raced through his body. This was probably one of the greatest ideas he had ever had.

Mori didn't know how much longer she could hold on until she lost consciousness. Her rolling eyes caught sight of one of the hooded figures standing watch, and they made a hand sign. The shocks stopped, and Mori was left twitching and writhing on the ground. Her breath gurgled through blood-filled lungs as the figure made another hand sign. Her eyes widened when the metal contraption pulsed before releasing another electric current through her body.

This one was different; more powerful then the previous shocks. A more piercing scream resonated from Mori as the currents seemed to scramble her very cells in her body.

Her mind went black as her eyes rolled back into her head, and her writhing slowed to a vigorous twitching in her limbs. One of the hooded figures in the room jumped down from the embedded balcony and walked slowly towards the still woman and bent down to her level. He waited a couple seconds before looking up to another figure and nodded. The second figure disappeared in a 'poof', and the other figures stood around the unconscious woman, waiting for their leader to appear.

Danzo was looking through some reports when he noticed one of his followers standing in front of him. A large grin spread across his face and his heart began beating quickly.

"It's time?" he asked, to which the figure nodded.

Danzo cackled and stood up, brushing past the figure.

"Excellent! Tell the others to get the preparations ready" he said, not bothering to see if the figure was following or not.

His steps were quick and filled with excitement. Finally, he could get on with the next step!

When he reached the building with an intricate door, he pushed his way in and hurried into the main room. He grinned when he saw the unconscious woman chained to a part of the wall. A large manacle was around her neck and attached with a thick chain to a part of the wall. Her head hung forward and blood flowed freely from the corner of her mouth. Her arms were held up by two hooded figures, and her feet barely touched the ground.

He nodded in satisfaction and waved forward another hooded figure. It nodded and made numerous intricate hand signs. Its hands glowed with blue chakra before it walked towards the woman. It placed one of its glowing hands on the metal square, and it lit up with a brilliant blue light. The light pulsed before thicker wires appeared from the front of the square and embedded themselves deep into the unconscious woman.

Her head flew back and her eyes popped open, revealing her red eyes as they widened in shock. Her mouth opened to scream, but no sound came out as blue chakra transferred from the metal square into Mori's body. Her muscles bunched and twisted, and the two hooded figures released Mori's arms as her fingers fused into pads and her hands turned into canine paws. Her mouth and nose lengthened, and her bones cracked. Her pupils turned into thin black slits as a growl rumbled out of her furry chest. In a matter of seconds, a writhing white wolf replaced the unconscious woman.

A snarl echoed from her maw as her wild eyes caught sight of Danzo standing there, watching in glee as his plan was working. She got to her four paws and sprang to devour the human, but was thrown back by the thick manacle around her neck. Her jaws snapped at Danzo and the hooded figures, but her claws couldn't reach them. The never-endless thought of ' _attack and devour the human_ ' bounced around in her head as Mori threw herself hard against the thick chain, but to no avail.

Danzo let out a loud laugh, further rilling up the crazed canine. This was coming along wonderfully! Who knew this woman was so gullible? He smirked and took a step closer to the snarling creature. This was no longer a woman or a wolf, but a blood-thirsty creature who would kill and eat innocent people. Vicious and loud snarling echoed in the room and pressed against his eardrums.

"Leave it be. Tomorrow, we release it on the people of Konoha and at my signal, you dispose of this creature" Danzo said to the hooded figures.

They nodded in unison and Danzo turned to walk out the room, snarls vibrating against his back. A howl sounded as he exited out the intricate door, and a shiver ran through the elderly man's back. Yes, this was coming along just fine.


	34. Chapter 34

**Welcome everyone to a new chapter of this fanfiction! A big welcome to my new followers and/or people who have favourited my story. I hope you all enjoy!**

As the sun lowered over the village of Konoha, Iruka walked to his apartment with a frown on his face. He finished having ramen with Naruto, but hadn't seen Mori all day. He tried not to think too much about it, but a nagging feeling that something wasn't right kept returning. He shook his head as he entered his apartment, stretching as he went. He loved teaching the young students, but sometimes he felt like he needed a break. Iruka sighed and shifted on his bed, glancing at the night sky through his window.

The moon was appearing through the clouds and shone into the Chunin's face. As sleep consumed him, Iruka thought briefly to where the woman he loved was.

The sun rose the next day and painted the sky a bright and vibrant red. Villagers were beginning to waken and start their day, unaware of the trouble they would soon be in. A loud growl vibrated against the walls of the room as the chakra-infused metal square made the wolf larger then before. Her canines were now the size of a grown man's forearm, and her head almost reached the top of the room. Her nails gauged the stone floor and her muscles bunched together as she continued lunging towards the figures in front of her.

Drool dripped down from the massive canines and onto the floor as the wolf continued its useless attempts. She was going crazy with the need to destroy and eat the figures in front of her.

Danzo smirked from the shadows of the small passageway above the snarling and crazed canine. He nodded to a hooded figure, who went and pressed a button beside it. A rumble echoed around the room, and a mechanic grating noise sounded. The wolf's ears flattened at the new noise, and snapped its teeth at a door that was opening. Light poured into the room, and the wolf lunged at the opened door, snapping its jaws at whatever was there.

"Release it now" Danzo said, and the hooded figure beside him disappeared.

It reappeared on top of the wolf's shoulders and pressed a button on the manacle around its thick furry neck. The wolf roared and jumped in the air, trying to throw off the intruder on its back as the manacle fell to the ground with a loud 'thump'. The wolf shook out its fur and shot through the open door, following its nose to the outside world. She skidded to a halt outside the building and it's nostrils flared. The red eyes narrowed in a crazed-fashion as the smell of humans flowed into her nose. She released a loud howl and sprang forward; branches and bushes snagged on her fur, but she continued the rampage.

The smell of humans got stronger as she broke through the foliage. A scream sounded in her ears as some villagers caught sight of her, and she snarled. Mori rushed forward, snapping her jaws at the villagers as they scrambled to get to safety. Dust and debris exploded into the air as she slammed into buildings, scrabbling and snapping at people fleeing.

Kunai knives and shuriken embedded themselves into her fur. She let out a roar and lunged towards some ninja, snapping her jaws and catching one unexpectedly. She bit down, and his screams echoed in her ears as her canines easily pierced his flesh. Blood gushed from his wounds as she continued biting down. Her heart thudded as the smell of blood reached her nose. Mori shook her head back and forth, and she heard the bones of her victim snap as he was whipped around like a rag doll. She dropped the limp man onto the ground, and growled deeply as more ninja appeared. Her teeth were stained with his blood as she snarled.

The metal square embedded on her chest sent another surge of chakra into her body, and Mori roared in pain. The metal was easily hid by her white fur, and wouldn't be seen unless someone really looked. At that point, they would be slashed in two by her claws. People screamed and dove out of the way as the massive canine crashed into a building, her paws scrabbling in the air.

A roar sounded as multiple weapons embedded themselves in her side. Blood streamed down her coat, staining it red as she got to her feet. She shook her ruff and lunged into a group of ninja, throwing them off balance.

"What's happening?!" Iruka exclaimed as he reached his comrades.

His eyes widened when he spotted the large canine pluck a villager in its mouth and shake them back and forth like a toy. Blood was splattered everywhere, and people ran screaming to get away.

"I don't know! It just suddenly appeared and started attacking villagers!" the other Chunin said, clenching a shuriken in his hand.

Iruka's eyes widened as he noticed the wolf's red eyes gazing at the screaming villagers in a crazed hunger.

"Mori...?" He whispered in shock as the wolf roared loudly, leaping into a crowd of ninja.

It's snarls echoed as Iruka ran closer. He knew it was Mori by her fur colouring, but refused to believe that his Mori would kill innocent people. She was sweet and kind by nature, a complete opposite of the monster in his view. The canine leaped again and crashed into another building, sending debris everywhere. A sizzle of electricity caught Iruka's attention as hooded figures appeared in front of the crazed wolf. The wolf snarled and its muscles bunched as it prepared to attack the figures.

"My friends! Let's protect the villagers!" Danzo suddenly shouted from above the carnage.

Iruka whipped his head towards the elderly man, eyes wide. The hooded figures made the same hand signs in unison, and ropes of chakra appeared from their hands. In complete sync, the figures made another hand sign and the chakra ropes wove around the crazed wolf. It roared and struggled to get out of the ropes as the chakra wound tighter and tighter. One of the figures made an _'X_ ' with its hands and one of the chakra ropes swung to the side, causing the wolf to crash heavily to the ground.

Snarls and growls echoed from its maw as the wolf struggled, blood pooling from numerous wounds. Iruka rushed forward, but was held back by Kakashi. He was about to demand why the Jonin was preventing him from getting to Mori, but stopped when he saw the Jonin's multicoloured gaze narrowed on the struggling canine.

"Don't go near her, something is wrong" Kakashi said in a low voice.

Iruka opened his mouth again, but Danzo interrupted him. The elderly man had appeared beside them and walked with slow and deliberate steps towards the growling wolf. Its red eyes landed on the elderly man, and it tried to reach him to snap him in half.

One of the hooded figures made a ' _T_ ' with his hands, and chakra whipped around to create a spear shape and was plunged into the wolf's chest, causing it to roar loudly. It renewed its struggling as blood gushed from the wound, and Danzo nodded. The chakra spear plunged in deeper, and Iruka made a move to stop the elderly man, but Kakashi held him back. The wolf's struggles began to lessen until it stilled, its eyes closed. Danzo turned around to the applause of the villagers, and some of the villagers ran up to the elderly man, congratulating and thanking him for saving their village.

Kakashi slowly walked to the still canine and placed a hand on its side, eyes narrowed. One of the hooded figures appeared in front of the wolf and placed its hand on its bloodied chest. If Kakashi wasn't looking, he wouldn't have noticed a metal square coming loose and the hooded figure pocketing it before disappearing.

The villagers parted as the two elders walked towards the fallen canine. They stopped before the wolf and Iruka held his breath, waiting for what they would say.

"We need to take this creature to the holding cells for further investigations" the elderly woman said, which her brother agreed silently.

Before they could do anything, the canine was wrapped in blue chakra. Iruka's eyes widened when the animal's size shrunk, and animal appendages turned human. His breath caught in his throat when a woman lay on the ground, white hair in a disarray. Bloodied wounds littered her body, and Iruka rushed forward to grab the unconscious woman in his arms.

"Iruka! You need to release the woman this instant! She must come with us" one of the two elders yelled, but Iruka didn't acknowledge them.

Murmured voices appeared behind him as Iruka took in the woman's condition. Her skin colour was as pale as a ghost, and her breath gurgled. Blood oozed continuously from numerous wounds especially from a large one in her chest. Little dots also oozed blood in her chest, causing Iruka to narrow his eyes in suspicion. A hand placed itself on his hand and the Chunin looked up.

"Take her to the hospital" Kakashi said, eyes worried.

Iruka nodded and collected the unconscious woman in his arms. A breathy whimper squeezed out from her bloodied lips and Iruka jumped onto the rooftops, increasing his pace with every jump. He stopped short when Mori's body began twitching. Her mouth opened in a silent scream and her eyes squeezed shut. Iruka tightened his hold on the woman as her limbs shook vigorously, and she cried out once as blood spurted from her mouth. After a minute, her limbs slackened and her face relaxed. Iruka quickly took off as blood leaked from the side of Mori's mouth, and he let out a breath of relief when he spotted the hospital.

He sped to the front door and rushed in just as Mori stopped breathing altogether.


	35. Chapter 35

Nurses hurried back and forth in the hospital corridor as Iruka waited for news of Mori. He leaned against the wall, heart thumping painfully as he waited for any news. It had felt like hours from the time he brought Mori in, but in fact it had only been a couple of minutes. Thoughts swirled in his head as he stared at the opposite wall. Why was she attacking the village and villagers? She loved this village and the people in it.

Iruka shook his head; Mori would never attack the village. Something had to have happened...and why was Danzo there?

Something wasn't right.

Iruka heaved a sigh and quickly left, feeling as if he was in the way of the doctors. The sun was behind some thick grey clouds as villagers picked their way around the damaged buildings. Iruka quickly hurried to help with the cleaning to get his mind of the woman in the hospital right now. Hopefully she would pull through, but there was the matter with the elders she had to go through. Iruka gritted his teeth as he pushed the idea out of his mind; now wasn't the time to think of that. Someone put their hand on his shoulder, and Iruka looked up in surprise to see Kakashi standing behind him. The Jonin's one visible eye was looking at the Chunin with a curious expression.

"You should be at the hospital waiting for news of Mori" he said quietly.

Iruka sighed and brushed a hand through his hair. Dirt clung to his vest as he shook his head.

"I don't know what happened. I know Mori would never attack the village, she loves the village and the people in it!" Iruka exclaimed, his hands clenched into fists.

Kakashi nodded and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"I saw something that one of Danzo's followers took from Mori before the elders came" he said in a low voice, and Iruka's eyes widened.

"Something? What was it?" the Chunin asked, heart beginning to pound.

So it wasn't Mori's fault for the destruction! Iruka knew she wouldn't do this willingly.

Kakashi sighed and shook his head.

"I couldn't get a good look at it, but I know Mori wouldn't do this on purpose. Something had to be controlling her" he said, eye narrowing.

"You should be at the hospital Iruka. She needs you there" the Jonin finished, looking at the Chunin softly.

Iruka nodded and picked his way out of the rubble before rushing to the hospital. Kakashi watched Iruka go and frowned. He knew that his friend cared for the Chunin deeply, and Iruka cared for her in return. He sighed and brushed a hand through his hair. What a mess his furry friend got herself into.

Iruka burst through the front doors of the hospital and immediately went to a nurse.

"Please! Can you tell me where the woman I brought in is? Is she okay?" he asked in a rush, heart pounding.

The young nurse looked at the Chunin and glanced worriedly at the hallway behind her. Iruka swallowed down the bile that rose in his throat as the nurse led him farther away.

"Your friend, is she the one with white hair?" she asked in a hushed voice.

At his nod, she sighed.

"We got the bleeding to stop thankfully, but her chakra is incredibly low. She's breathing on her own again but we aren't sure for how long that will last for. What happened to your friend? Was she also attacked by the giant creature?" the young nurse asked, eyes widening with the last question.

Iruka paused, and nodded hesitantly. The nurse hmm'ed and looked at the clipboard she was holding.

"You'll have to wait to visit her. The village elders are in there with her right no-hey!" she cried out as Iruka bumped into her shoulder as he took off down the hallway.

The village elders wanted to restrain Mori for interrogation, and Iruka swallowed a lump as he ran past room after room. If the elders got to Mori, it would mean imprisonment. She wouldn't survive the interrogation process let alone the imprisonment in the current state she was in. Iruka briefly glanced in every room he passed until he came to the room he was looking for. The two village elders glared at him as he skidded to a stop in the room,

He took a step into the room and stopped, eyes wide when they landed on the woman lying on the hospital bed. A large bandaid was taped over her chest wound, while other bandages dotted her skin here and there. An oxygen mask was placed over her mouth and her chest rose and fell in shaky bursts. The sound of the heart monitor beeping steadily gave Iruka only a measure of comfort as he walked up to the village elders. He gave them a small bow but kept his eyes on the injured woman.

"Iruka! What is the meaning of this!" the sister of the two said in a scolding tone as the Chunin pushed past them to grab Mori's hand.

"I know Mori didn't do this on purpose! Something happened that made her go crazy" he said as he turned to face the elders.

Iruka swallowed as his heart plunged into his stomach when he felt the coolness of Mori's limp hand in his. He gripped it tighter, hoping to transfer some warmth into her hand from his.

"This woman went berserk and destroyed part of our village, not to mention killed one of our shinobi and two villagers. You call this act not on purpose?" the brother elder spoke, scoffing at the desperate Chunin.

"She will be detained to this hospital bed until she regains consciousness. Only then will she be brought to the interrogation unit and imprisoned" the sister then spoke, voice gruff and strict.

Iruka's eyes widened.

"You can't do that! She'll die from the interrogation and you know it! The previous Hokage would have never allowed this to happen!" Iruka shouted.

"Iruka! Calm yourself! Where is your sense of village pride? This woman destroyed our village and yet you defend her! If she expires then that's for the best of the safety of this village" the sister snapped, cheeks red with anger.

Iruka gritted his teeth in anger and opened his mouth to speak, but stopped when the hand he held tightly twitched for the briefest second. He blinked and glanced down at Mori, but her condition didn't change.

The heart monitor that was beeping steadily began to quicken. Her chest rose and fell quicker and a muscle in her cheek twitched. The elders gasped when Mori's eyes snapped open, red orbs moving rapidly around the room. Her pupils were black slits as a growl rumbled from her chest.

"Mori? Can you hear me? It's Iruka" Iruka said, gripping the now-trembling hand tighter in his.

Mori's red eyes locked onto his dark ones, and a snarl crept over her face. Before anyone could move, Mori yanked the mask off her face and tore at the needles in her hands. The village elders began shouting for the doctors and nurses as Mori let out another snarl as she struggled to free herself.

"Mori, what are you doing? Stop! Relax, it's me" Iruka murmured to the struggling woman.

She let out a growl as her muscles bunched. She head butted Iruka in the chin and leaped through the window, the sound of glass breaking echoing in the hospital room. Iruka stumbled back and held his throbbing chin, eyes wide. Doctors and nurses rushed in to see what happened as the elders screamed. Iruka stood rooted to the spot, shock freezing his muscles. Blood outlined the broken glass and Iruka blinked, breaking out of his shock.

Iruka rushed out of the hospital and stopped, looking around for any signs of the injured woman. He noticed some drops of blood leading away from the hospital, and jogged down the street as the drops led him away from the village. They stopped as soon as Iruka entered the forest training area, and he felt his gut clenching in fear.

"Just leave her by herself" he heard a voice behind him, and Iruka whipped around to see Kakashi standing there, hands in his pockets.

"Did you see her come this way?" Iruka asked, heart pounding when the Jonin nodded.

"She's still healing and both human and wolf are volatile. It's best give her some time to fully heal" Kakashi said.

Iruka sighed and nodded before looking at the Jonin. His eye seemed conflicted and had a far-away look to it.

"Kakashi, has this happened before?" Iruka asked as he gazed at the Jonin.

Kakashi sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Yes, but a long time ago" he said.


	36. Chapter 36

Iruka's eyes widened when he digested the news. This had happened before?

"What? When?" Iruka said.

Kakashi sighed and ran a hand through his hair. His one visible eye cast a far away look as he was silent. Iruka waited patiently for the Jonin to speak. A wind blew past the two shinobi, and Kakashi looked at the Chunin.

"She was badly injured when the Nine-Tailed Fox attacked the village all those years ago" Kakashi said in a low voice.

Iruka's eyes widened in shock, and his heart seemed to skip a beat. The Nine-Tail Fox? His mind spun back to the creature who nearly destroyed the village and killed his parents. Kakashi nodded at the look on Iruka's face.

"Mori was younger and inexperienced and the fox was too powerful. She tried to help protect us, but the Nine-Tails got annoyed with her and she got in the way of it. The next time I saw her, she was as injured as she was today" Kakashi recounted, his mind dwelling on the past.

 _People were shouting as rumbles shook the ground. Kakashi looked around, irritated and angry that he and the other younger shinobi were being held back as the older ninja attacked the large fox. It's roars could be heard from far away, and it's many tails whipped back and forth. Kakashi gritted his teeth; he wanted to fight! A white blur caught his visible eye and he turned his head to see his young friend sitting a little ways away. He quietly walked toward the panting female wolf as she sat on her haunches, ears pricked and eyes sharp. She had heard the fox's demonic roars and came to help protect her friends._

 _A growl rumbled from the young female wolf as she caught sight of the orange fur._

 _"Mori, you shouldn't be here. Our shinobi have it under control" Kakashi said._

 _"I have to help, Kakashi! These people are good people" Mori snarled, white teeth flashing._

 _The Nine-Tailed fox jumped through the trees, and Mori's ears caught the sound of screaming. She snarled and took off like a shot, leaving her friend calling her name behind. She raced to where the demon fox was, and skidded to a stop when she came face to face with the fox. Its numerous tails smashed trees and her heart sank as numerous bodies littered the ground. She snarled and barked loudly, getting the fox's attention. It's red eyes narrowed and it swiped a giant paw at Mori._

 _She jumped away and ran at the fox, snapping her jaws at its hind leg. Blood spurted from the wound, and the fox growled in irritation. Mori barked at it again, weaving around the fox's legs. It's roar of irritation vibrated in her ears and Mori let out a yelp as one of its many tails caught her in the side. She sailed through the air and landed on the ground heavily. Her breath rushed out of her lungs and Mori whimpered. Her ear flicked back when she heard shouts of the Konoha shinobi. She lifted herself up with a small groan and blinked. The fox roared, and screams of pain echoed in the air. She growled and leaped at the fox, attaching her jaws on the fox's front paw._

 _It roared in pain and Mori felt it's teeth grab onto her side, ripping her away from its paw. The fox's teeth pierced Mori's fur, and she scrabbled to get free. Her screams of pain caused the shinobi to stop for the briefest second, but continued their onslaught. The fox whipped its head back and forth with Mori in its mouth, and she felt some of her bones snap._

 _The fox released the limp wolf from it's jaws, and Mori let out a yelp as her body hit the ground. One of its tails lashed out, slapping the young wolf away. Her body skidded on the forest floor and came to a stop when her back hit the bark of a tree. Her conscious flickered in and out as the battle continued around her, and her young body spasmed in pain. Her mind finally succumbed to the darkness after what seemed like forever, and the sounds of battle died in her ears._

 _A younger Kakashi jumped from tree to tree in search of his friend. His heart was heavy with the loss of so many people. The Nine-Tailed fox had killed many villagers, shinobi, and Konoha's very own Hokage and his wife. His one visible eye narrowed as he continued searching; he just hoped Mori wasn't another casualty._

 _There!_

 _Kakashi leaped down from the tree branch when he saw a patch of white on the forest floor. Blood was splattered everywhere, and he kneeled down close to Mori. The young wolf was laying still, her eyes shut and blood pooling around her. Kakashi sighed and rubbed a hand through his hair when a deep growl sounded. He rocked back on his heels when his visible eye connected with a red eye; the visible pupil in a long black slit. Mori growled again: a warning to stay away. Kakashi shook his head at her._

 _"I'm not going anywhere" he murmured softly._

 _The injured wolf lifted her head and struggled to her feet. Blood stained her white coat and her limbs shook with the task of keeping her body up. Blood dripped from her open maw as another growl gurgled from her chest. Kakashi's eye narrowed; Mori must have sustained internal injuries._

 _"You need those injuries treated, you know" he mused, watching the wolf's actions carefully._

 _Any animal was dangerous when it was injured. Mori stared at the Jonin then suddenly lunged and snapped her jaws at him, but her breath ended in a gurgle as her legs gave out. She landed on her side and a whimper of pain escaped. Kakashi continued sitting, not moving until he was sure it was okay._

 _"You know, I can't help you until you are human" Kakashi said, eye still trained on the injured wolf._

 _Mori was still for a couple minutes until she heaved herself up into a sitting position. Her front legs still trembled, but her pupils were starting to return to their normal size. Before Kakashi could blink, Mori shifted to human. Her head rolled forward as her eyes closed, and Kakashi rushed forward to grab his friend when her body began to fall to the side. He gently lifted her into his arms, taking note of the injuries that she sustained. From the noise of her breathing, he could tell that some of her ribs were broken, and one or possibly two had punctured her lungs. Her shoulder was dislocated, and a large bruise was quickly spreading over it. Blood dropped down the side of her head, and Kakashi quickly leaped into the trees._

 _He sent a small prayer to the heavens that his friend would survive._

Iruka stood rooted to the spot, shocked that Mori had gone against the fox and lived. The same fox that was inside Naruto.

"Give her time" Kakashi said before walking away, and Iruka nodded.


	37. Chapter 37

Mori groaned low in her throat as she flinched. Her eyes were open and glazed over as leaves fell from the tree she was lying under. Pain was everywhere; flaring with every breath she took. She didn't know where the pain started and Mori began. Her muscles twitched, and Mori squeezed her eyes shut. She didn't even know if she was human or wolf. She tried opening her eyes, but bright sunlight shone directly into her sensitive orbs. She let out a breathy whimper and squeezed her eyes shut.

What happened to her?

The last thing she remembered was being in the room with that elderly man. Then the pain began and her mind fled into the comforting darkness. Her breathing rasped in her own ears as she tried taking survey of any broken bones.

Mori's shoulder was either broken or dislocated, and her ribs felt like fire was eating the very bones. Her mind continued to slowly and weakly wander down her body, searching for more injuries as a gentle wind blew across her body. Her chest ached and burned with every breath, and the sound of rustling material reached her ears. Her tongue slowly probed her own mouth and ran along her teeth: dull and regular canine teeth.

So she was human this time.

The last time she was a young wolf and Kakashi was there to take her to the hospital. Mori slowly opened her eyes again, and blinked rapidly against the sunlight that filtered through the foliage. Taking a deep breath Mori pushed herself into a sitting position. A cry of pain escaped her lips as her body protested the movement, and she clamped a hand to her ribs as pain flared to life. Her muscles trembled as sweat beaded along her forehead.

Her lips quivered as she tried to hold in another cry of pain. Sweat dripped down the side of her face and onto the forest floor. Panting slightly, Mori placed a shaking hand to her forehead.

The movement seemed to be too much for her body, and she felt like she was going to vomit and faint at the same time.

A twig snapped nearby, and with a shaky breath Mori looked toward the sound. If an enemy had found her, she wouldn't be able to defend herself. She gritted her teeth and lifted herself onto her feet, swaying from the process. She placed a hand on the closest tree, using it as a crutch to keep her upright as the buses in front of her shook. Her vision blurred as a figure walked out of the bushes, and she nearly cried in relief when Iruka helped her stand straighter. Her ribs flared, and she bit back a cry as her legs buckled. Iruka gripped her arm tightly and held Mori slowly to the ground.

"Mori, can you hear me?" he murmured, worry etched on his face.

He breathed a sigh of relief when she gave a tiny nod, jaw muscles clenched tightly as the pain flared up.

"I-I didn't mean to follow h-him" Mori hoarsely whispered.

"Follow who?" Iruka questioned gently.

Mori opened her mouth to answer, but cried out when her ribs flared in pain. She plastered a hand to her side and her muscles trembled. She let out a breath when the pain subsided, panting slightly as Iruka tightened his hold on the young woman.

"Come on, I'm taking you back home" she dimly heard Iruka say, and whimpered when he lifted her into his arms.

Iruka bit his lip as he gently held the trembling woman against his chest. He needed to get Mori to somewhere safe, but the elders also wanted to bring her in for interrogation. He quickly jumped to the high branches above and moved quickly until he reached his apartment. Iruka fished out his keys and unlocked the door before bringing the injured woman in. Hopefully no one had seen him.

He gently brought Mori to his bed and laid her down on the sheets, being mindful of her ribs and shoulder. The wound on her chest was beginning to bleed again, and stained the white bandage a startling crimson. Iruka frowned at this and went to get a first aid kit. Thoughts swirled through his head as the Chunin gently sat beside Mori. Sweat plastered her white hair to her face as her eyes squeezed shut. He laid a gentle hand against her cheek, and her eyes opened slowly.

"What happened to you, Mori?" Iruka said gently, and Mori's eyes connected with his.

"A man...told me h-he had a way that I could get Hideo back. H-he said...that I had to come with him" Mori mumbled, fighting to keep her eyes opened.

"A man? What did he look like?" Iruka asked, keeping his hand on her cheek.

A little part of him wanted to keep bugging her to get the details out, but he squashed that thought immediately. He needed to get the information out from Mori on her own time, and didn't want to rush the injured woman.

"...old man...with a cane" Mori mumbled, drifting in and out of slumber.

Fatigue clawed at her mind, but Mori wanted to stay awake. She had to tell Iruka what happened. That man did something to her, and he had to take responsibility for it. Her eyelids fluttered, and Iruka smiled gently. He could see how she was battling sleep, but her body needed it to heal.

"Go to sleep, Mori. You need it so you can heal" Iruka said as he tended to her chest wound.

"...forgive me" Mori whispered as sleep consumed her, and her head lolled to the side.

Iruka sighed and brushed a strand of hair away from her face. He gently took off the bloodied bandage and placed a clean one over the chest wound. Questions brimmed on the surface of his mind, but he would have to wait. It was important for Mori to get as much sleep as possible to heal. He sighed and brushed his hand through his hair.

How was he going to deal with this?

Iruka put away the first aid kit and sat down on the bed, watching Mori sleep. Her breathing was laboured and once in a while a breathy whimper would escape out. Iruka frowned and leaned back against the front of the bed, arms crossed loosely over his chest. The Chunin's eyes looked down at the slumbering woman. Her colour was pale, making the blood stains stand out brightly. His heart clenched painfully at seeing her injuries; she almost lost her life. He stifled a yawn and leaned his cheek on the top of Mori's head. His body was feeling a bit weary; maybe a good idea to have a small nap. Soon, the Chunin was fast asleep and the two adult's breathing echoed in the bedroom.


	38. Chapter 38

Iruka opened his eyes, groaning softly as a beam of sunlight shone directly into his eyes. He blinked rapidly, getting rid of the sleep that clung to his mind and stretched his arms over his head. He glanced down at the slumbering woman leaning beside him. Her colour was beginning to look better, and her face was relaxed as she slept deeply. He slowly and carefully removed himself from Mori's slumbering form and pulled a sheet over her. He briefly glanced at the bandaged chest wound. He did his best to stop the blood that flowed freely from the re-opened wound, and thankfully sometime during the night it had stopped bleeding.

His eyes narrowed in suspicion when he saw smaller injuries on her chest in the shape of an outline. What made those smaller injuries? They were in complete circles. Iruka had never seen any weapon that made those types of injuries. He shook his head and affectionately brushed some strands of hair away from Mori's face. He would leave her to rest and recouperate for the day. Iruka then quietly got ready and locked the door as quietly as he could behind him. When he turned around, he sighed and walked down the road. He blinked when Kakashi appeared beside him, hands in his pockets.

"You were right, Kakashi. Mori was different when I found her" Iruka murmured to the Jonin.

Kakashi nodded and started walking beside him.

"All she needs is time to heal. Keep her safe until this whole thing is figured out" Kakashi said, and transported away when Iruka nodded.

Iruka sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He needed to keep Mori safe until they figured out the entire thing, and if Danzo was somehow involved in it. Mori had mentioned an older man with a cane...and Danzo walked with a cane. He shook his head; he didn't want to place blame on someone when there was a chance it wasn't Danzo. He leaned his head back and gazed at the clouds floating by as he continued walking. Something wasn't right here.

Mori felt cold and hot at the same time. Everything hurt, and she didn't want to move. Her chest felt constricted, and a deep pulsing pain resonated over her heart. Her mind took her away from the pain, and she fell into a deep slumber. Dream after dream invaded her mind, and she let herself be carried away by them.

 _A deep-like rumble caught her attention, and dream-Mori looked up from the field of flowers she was kneeling in. Cracks zipped through the field, and a strong wind blew through the field. It tugged at Mori's hair and clothes, and she raised her arms to shield herself. The flowers melted away to an inky blackness, and she was surrounded by wispy grey clouds that clung to her limbs. All around her was shades of black and grey that pressed on her._

 _Mori blinked and tried to peer through the blackness, but her eyes couldn't pierce through the darkness. A howl sounded suddenly and Mori jumped in surprise. The howl shook the whips of clouds and made them dance and sway. Mori stood up and looked around, wary of what made the howl._

 _A figure stepped in front of her, and a shocked gasp tore out of her throat. Her wolf form stood in front of her, red eyes piercing into her own red orbs. It stood still, an unknown breeze blowing the white fur._

 _"What do you want" Mori murmured to her other form._

 _Her wolf whined slightly and paced on its paws, as if it wanted to reach her. After a couple minutes of pacing, it growled and raised it's muzzle to the blackness. The howl vibrated against Mori's eardrums and forced her to her knees as her hands were plastered to her ears. She gritted her teeth against the pain in her ears. The howl made her very bones shake and she let out a scream. The howl seemed to go on forever, and Mori was sure she would break apart if it continued._

 _The howling suddenly stopped, and she gasped as warmth flowed through her body. She stood up shakily and blinked in surprise when all her wounds were healed. She felt at her chest wound, and gasped softly when the large wound wasn't there anymore. A wind began to tug at her clothes again, and Mori blinked when she saw a large tornado barreling towards her. The wind picked her up like a toy and whipped her around like a used toy. Mori yelped as the wind threw her into the blackness, and it swallowed her up._

Mori woke with a start, and blinked when she saw she was in Iruka's bed. She sat up in the bed, wincing as her muscles protested the movement. She put a shaking hand to her forehead, blinking away the sleep that clung to her eyes.

How long had she been asleep for?

She shifted in the bed, and the sound of the door opening caught her attention. Mori blinked when Iruka walked in, his face looking worried. He blinked in surprise when he looked to see Mori sitting up, and rushed to her side.

"Mori! What are you doing sitting up? You could open your wounds again" he said as he sat down on the edge of the bed, and Mori gave him a small smile.

"I'm doing okay now, Iruka. How long have I been asleep for?" she said, voice hoarse from the large amount of sleep.

"Two days. I was getting worried you wouldn't wake" he said.

"I guess my body just needed more time" Mori mused, and Iruka nodded.

"Kakashi told me this had happened before...when the Nine-Tails attacked" Iruka said in a serious voice.

Mori sighed and shifted on the bed. Of course Kakashi would bring it up. She was just a young pup then, and barely knew how to fight. Kakashi had brought her to the hospital after, and thankfully they had managed to heal the young girl. After, her mother and father never let her out of their sight.

"Yes, I was there. I was foolish back then, and wanted to show my mother and father that I wasn't a pup anymore" she said, smiling at the memory.

She had snuck out of the den while her mother, father and pack were out hunting. Her brother was out patrolling by himself, and Mori thought it was the perfect time. She had bolted in a flash of white and headed in the direction of the village. She wanted to see her friend Kakashi, but didn't realize that the Nine-Tails would show up. Sometime later, she heard crying and snuck away. Following her ears, she found a young Iruka sitting by himself.

The memory made her smile; that was when she had first met Iruka.


	39. Chapter 39

Wincing, Mori brought a hand to her chest. The bandage was still there and the fabric itched like mad. The wound had begun to heal and it protested whenever she moved quickly.

Iruka had made sure she stayed put in his apartment and as sweet as the behaviour was, Mori was beginning to go insane. She paced endlessly around the apartment, cleaning and tidying until everything was spotless. She would stare out the window at the street below, gazing at the people restlessly.

One particular afternoon Mori laid on Iruka's bed, muscles tense. She needed to be out! Mori bit her lip as her mind and body debated hotly against each other. She flung an arm over her eyes with a groan. She promised Iruka she would stay put until everything had calmed down in the village. Letting out a small growl, Mori eased herself off the bed. She would go out for only a couple minutes and make sure no one saw her. Mori needed to feel the breeze on her skin. She hastily walked to the door and opened the door before peaking out, blinking against the afternoon sun. Looking around, she stepped out and sighed in relief as a cool breeze swept across her skin. It put her mind at ease as she heard the laughing of children, birds crying in the sky, and the wind blowing through the trees. Her feet took on a mind of their own and before she knew it, Mori was walking through the street.

' _No! Go back!_ ' Mori's mind cried out, but her body wouldn't listen.

A sudden rumble caught her attention, and Mori jumped to the side as the ground in front of her exploded. She skidded to a stop as smoke filled the air. Letting out a cough, Mori struggled to her feet as footsteps approached her. She blinked against the dust when a Jonin approached her. She didn't recognize him, but his eyes were hard and filled with hate as he stared at Mori.

"You! You're the thing who took the life of my friend!" he shouted and Mori's eyes widened.

"But...it wasn't me! It was an elderly man who made me do it. Please, I didn't mean to do it on purpose" Mori said weakly.

"Liar! You killed him in cold blood!" the Jonin screamed, his hands moving in a quick series of hand signs.

Mori struggled to her feet as the ground in front of her exploded again, sending her flying into the side of a building. She cried out as the impact caused her breath to whoosh out of her lungs. Blood gushed from her chest wound and she could feel it dripping down the back of her neck. Her vision flickered in and out as the Jonin walked up to her.

"You're going to pay for what you did" he sneered before some members of the ANBU appeared.

They grabbed Mori by the arms and hauled her up. Her eyelids flickered open as she was dragged to the interrogation building. She willed her feet tried to catch up, but her bones and muscles didn't seem to want to cooperate. Her chest wound flared to life, and a breathy whimper squeezed out from past her lips. Words floated around her muddled brain, and Mori weakly lifted her head. Blurry images of people standing in front of her, and Mori squeezed her eyes shut before opening them again. The bright lights on the ceiling swirled in her vision and caused a pounding in her temples. Her head hung back down as they began dragging her again, this time down some darker hallways.

' _Why did I ever leave the apartment?_ ' she thought as the ANBU took her into a quiet room.

Her heartbeat echoed in her ears as they brought her to a large metal contraption that resembled a large egg. They strapped her in and closed the top portion across her chest, leaving her head to hang loose. Mori could feel the blood dripping from her wounds as she waited for what was to come next. Footsteps appeared, and Mori felt her gut clench. Her head lifted weakly, and her dazed eyes blinked slowly. Her temples were beginning to pound more fiercely, and her body trembled. More voices echoed around her, but her muddled brain couldn't make out the words. A cool hand was placed on top of her head, and her eyelids fluttered shut.

"We're all set" an older male voice said in front of Mori.

The hand lifted and she felt a tugging sensation around the top of her head. Mori twitched as she realized that the man who came in was going to check her memories. Her eyebrows furrowed as flashes of memories came up one right after the other.

 _Her mother and father nudging her and her brother close together as a cold wind blew._

 _Her mother picking her up by the scruff when she and Hideo were tussling._

 _Mori racing out of the den and almost being killed by the strange man._

 _Mori meeting Kakashi for the first time that stormy night._

 _Mori battling against the demonic fox and meeting Iruka for the first time._

 _Orochimaru and his ninja attacking their pack and killing her father and the majority of the pack._

 _Her time in those cells and escaping._

 _Meeting the genin and battling against her brother._

 _Iruka._

 _Iruka._

 _Iruka._

 _The elderly man and the burning, twisting and piercing pain._

 _Waking up to Iruka caring for her._

A feeling of defeat and sadness overwhelmed Mori as the man took a step back. A stray tear escaped and rolled down her cheek and she heard an intake of breath as the man digested what he saw.

"I'm done here. This woman poses no threat to us. She's been through a lot, the poor girl" he said sadly, blue eyes looking at the young woman in front of him.

His partner nodded and gazed at the young woman before turning away, his long coat swishing against the floor. The man watched his partner leave before sighing and turning back to the tattered and barely conscious woman.

She needed a medical attention and somewhere warm, not here in the cold and intimidating room. He removed the metal surrounding her torso and unstrapped her. His blue eyes narrowed when he felt her shivering against him. Blood coated the front and back of her shirt, and he gingerly lifted her in his arms before walking outside, intent on bringing her in to get some medical attention.


	40. Chapter 40

Muffled voices entered Mori's mind as she slept. Her conscious fluttered a little at the voices, but settled back down when they disappeared. It seemed like years before Mori opened her eyes slowly, wincing against he bright sunlight that streamed through the window. Apparently she had slept throughout the entire night and late into the next day. She turned her head weakly to her left, and sighed when she saw an IV attached to her wrist.

So she was back in the hospital.

A rustle caught her attention, and her eyes moved to where it came from. Iruka was sitting in a chair beside her hospital bed with his arms crossed over his chest and chin resting on his chest. His eyes were closed as if he was asleep, and Mori felt her lips twitch in a small smile.

She summoned what little strength she had and eased herself into a sitting position. Her teeth clenched when the back of her head gave a painful twinge.

"Mori! You're awake" Iruka said when he heard movement from the hospital bed.

He got up and helped Mori sit up properly. She clasped her hand in his as she blinked away the rest of the sleep that clung to her eyes.

"It seems I'm always in the hospital...maybe I should move in permanently" Mori joked weakly.

Iruka sighed and shook his head at the woman.

"You looked lifeless in Inoichi's arms. I thought the worst" Iruka said quietly.

Mori looked up at him with confused eyes and Iruka released her hand before going over and pulling a chair over to her bedside. Iruka took ahold of Mori's hand and told her everything.

He was coming back from teaching at the academy before hearing that one of the Jonin had brought in the woman who killed his partner. He had felt his heart drop to the ground and ran to the interrogation building. He knew Mori wasn't up to strength to survive a full interrogation. Iruka had skidded to a stop when he saw Inoichi Yamanaka carrying the battered and bloody woman out.

His heart stopped, but Inoichi had stated there was nothing to worry about and was bringing Mori to get medical attention. After admitting the unconscious woman to the hospital, Inoichi was to report to the elders that Mori posed no threat to their village. The three entered the hospital swiftly and made sure the woman was admitted.

The nurses and medical nin hooked Mori to different machines and checked her vitals. Her chakra was low and the medical nin patched up the gash behind her head. They inserted a needle into Mori's vein that contained fluid necessary for her body to heal.

The nurses and medical nin left the hospital room and with a grim nod, the Jonin left the hospital to report his findings, leaving Iruka to care and watch the woman. He situated himself in a chair and crossed his arms across his chest. He would wait here until Mori woke.

Mori's eyes brimmed with tears as Iruka finished telling her. She bowed her head as tears slid down her cheeks. Iruka frowned and placed his arms around her quivering shoulders.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for causing you all this grief" Mori whispered as she pressed her face against his vest.

Iruka squeezed his arms tighter around her as tears continued streaming down her cheeks. Her mind spun as thoughts raced through her brain. She was responsible for the deaths of innocent people here, all because she was selfish and wanted to get her brother back.

"It's not your fault, Mori. You wanted to save your brother" Iruka said, feeling Mori shake her head against his vest.

"It is. I was the one who followed that man into his lair. I'm a danger to everyone" Mori said.

Iruka opened his mouth to argue, but Mori held up a hand to stop him.

"I have to leave here, Iruka. Who knows what will happen to me again. Maybe I'll end up destroying the entire village and killing everyone. I don't want to hurt you or even kill you" Mori said seriously.

"You'd never kill me" Iruka argued, and Mori sighed.

"I don't know that! That's why I have to leave here to keep everyone safe" she said.

Iruka was silent as he injested her words. There had to be something he could do to keep her here.

A knock on the door interrupted the two, and a nurse came in.

"Visitor hours are over. You can come back tomorrow" she said in a kind voice and Iruka nodded.

"I'll be back tomorrow" Iruka said and pressed a small kiss on the top of her head.

Mori nodded and watched with sad eyes as the Chunin got up and left the hospital room. She waited for a couple minutes before making up her mind. With a sigh, Mori slowly eased herself out of the hospital bed and with a grunt, swiftly took the needles out of her wrist. She placed a hand over the small bleeding opening and stood up on shaking legs. She knew she had to leave Konoha.

It was for the best.

She took a tentative step, and then another until she reached the door. With a shaky breath, she searched inside to her canine chakra. She let out a breath when she found it, as weak as it was. She coaxed it to fill her body, and she felt it envelop her body. Soon, a white wolf stood on shaking legs. She pushed her muzzle out the door and somehow made her way out of the hospital without anyone seeing her.

A cool wind blew as stars twinkled down from a black sky. The village was settling down to sleep, which was perfect for Mori. No one would see her leave.

She padded down the street and through the gate. An owl hooted from a nearby tree and crickets chirped as Mori weakly padded through the forest. She stopped and looked back, heart heavy as she laid eyes on the slumbering village.

She raised her muzzle and let out a mournful howl, her heart breaking into a million pieces.

Mori knew it was for the best, but why did it have to hurt so much?

She stopped the howl and continued padding through the forest. She needed to get far away before finding a place to sleep. Her mind urged her on, but after a couple minutes her limbs gave out and she fell to a ground in a heap. Mori struggled to her feet, but fell back down. Her eyes closed until sleep enveloped her mind and body.


	41. Chapter 41

Birds chirping nearby caused white furry ears to twitch as a gentle breeze shifted through the trees. A sleepy head lifted itself from resting on top of crossed front paws, and red eyes blinked slowly. Mori let out a yawn and slowly got to her four paws, dirt clinging to her white fur. It had been days since she decided to run, and had been constantly on the move.

Even thought it was for the best for the village, her heart continued to break piece by piece as she continued her trek. She had to keep moving for fear that the village elders would set the ANBU after her. Even though the kind man had found no malicious intent in her memories, she had killed innocent people. Mori had to get away; even if it meant leaving her friends and the man she loved.

Letting out another large yawn, Mori stretched each limb slowly and languished in the stretch of her muscles. Her stomach gurgled in hunger and she shook out her fur. Her stomach had been acting funny lately, and she found herself not being able to keep anything down. Padding through the forest, Mori pushed the mysterious stomach illness to the back of her mind and concentrated on finding food.

'Not that it would matter with the way my stomach is acting up' Mori thought ruefully.

With an internal sigh she lifted her muzzle and scented the air, sifting through the scents to find something to eat. Finding a pleasing scent, Mori began stalking a rabbit through the foliage. It wasn't before long when she had the rabbit in her jaws, hanging limply.

Before long, the contents of the rabbit was brought back up and splattered onto the forest floor. Sides heaving with effort, she weakly coughed as her limbs shook. Without realizing it, her body turned human and human hands weakly pushed strands of hair away from her face. Sweat beaded across her forehead and dripped down her face. She wiped her mouth with the back of her palm, and some bushes rustled nearby. Her eyes snapped to the bushes, and a threatening growl rose from her throat. She blinked in surprise when an elderly woman stepped out of the bushes, huffing with the effort.

"Oh! I thought I heard someone. Are you alright my dear?" she said in a kind voice.

Mori nodded mutely and shakily stood, bracing herself against a tree trunk. The elderly woman scurried towards her as Mori winced at the pain in her stomach as it tried to reject the rest of the contents. She felt a withered hand press itself against her forehead as she coughed and spat out the vile contents. The elderly lady tsk'd and helped Mori stand straight and led her to the bushes that she came out of.

"You are not alright! You will come with me this instant. My house is close by. Come!" she said, continuing to lead Mori through the foliage.

Mori tried to weakly protest, but the elderly woman had none of it. After a couple of minutes of walking, the two came to a small village. People walked about and talked in loud and cheerful voices, and children laughed and played through the dirt streets. Mori felt her lips lift in a small smile as two small children ran around the pair, laughing and chasing each other.

The elderly woman chastised them gently and sent them away as she led Mori to a small wooden house. The smell of roasting meat wafted past them as the woman opened the front door, and Mori let her eyes drift shut as warmth licked at her skin. It dried the sweat that was dripping down her body, and her stomach began to uncurl itself from the knot it had tied itself in during their trek. The elderly woman led Mori to a small room and helped her lay down on a bed.

"I'm not clean! I don't want to dirty your bed" Mori protested as the elderly lady brought the blanket up to Mori's chin.

"Nonsense! Dirt can be easily cleaned" the elderly lady said and briskly walked out of the small bedroom.

The sound of metal clanking and water running drifted through the open door as Mori let her mind drift away. She heard the elderly woman puttering away in the other room, and it gave her a sense of comfort. It calmed her body, and before long her eyes shut and Mori fell into a deep slumber. A cold cloth wiping her forehead caused Mori to awake with a start, and her eyes snapped open. She blinked away the sleep as the cloth continued wiping her brow, and then moved down to her cheeks.

"I hope you slept well" an elderly voice said above the woman, and Mori's eyes moved to see the elderly woman smiling down at her.

She nodded and sat up slowly with the elderly woman's help.

"Thank you for helping me" Mori said in a quiet voice, and the elderly woman smiled.

"I was out stretching my legs when I heard someone, so I thought I would try and be of use. These old bones are getting old but I can still do some things. You may call me Midori" she said, dryly chuckling to herself.

"So, my dear, how long have you been having stomach issues? Have they been every morning?" the woman asked suddenly, startling Mori.

She gazed with wide shocked eyes at the elderly woman as she stood in front of Mori, smiling brightly.

"Um...a couple of days" she said, confused with this line of questioning.

The elderly woman, Midori, smiled and nodded causing Mori to become even more confused. Her head tilted in confusion as the woman put the cloth away.

"Midori, may I ask as to why?" Mori asked.

Midori chuckled to herself and came up to Mori, grasping her hand in her wrinkled ones.

"Because my dear, you are having morning sickness. You're pregnant" she said with a smile.

Everything around Mori grew still, and her heartbeat thudded in her ears. Pregnant? But...how? And when? Her mind flashed back to the nights spent with Iruka, and heat raced across her cheeks. Midori patted her hand and walked out of the room, leaving Mori to digest the news.

Pregnant. With Iruka's child.

Her hands drifted down to her still-flat stomach, and her mind struggled to accept it. There was the beginning of life dwelling inside of her. A small smile twitched itself across her lips.

She would be having a child...with Iruka.


	42. Chapter 42

The next 4 months flew by as Mori stayed with Midori in her small village, helping the elderly woman around the small house and doing chores for her. The morning sickness stayed with Mori every morning, and sometimes into the afternoon. Midori assured the worrying young woman that it was just her body getting used to the pregnancy, and these bouts of sickness would end.

Mori sighed as she ran her hands through her hair while relaxing in the bath, scrubbing her fingers through the strands of white hair. It had grown a couple inches and now reached her shoulders. She blinked stray water out of her eyes and rested a hand on her rounded belly. Her belly was beginning to show, and the long dress Midori made her hung loose and comfortable off her frame. A small smile quirked at her lips as her other hand placed itself around her belly. She had just been checked by the midwife of the village, and was given a clean bill of health. Her baby was doing fine and growing, which meant Mori had to eat more. Midori was making her more rice with fish as she got herself clean in the bath. It was incredibly nice of the elderly woman to do this for the young woman, but Mori felt like she was dying to sink her teeth into a plump rabbit or even an unsuspecting deer. Her stomach grumbled in agreement at the thought.

Mori sighed and heaved herself out, stepping out of the bath and grabbing a towel. She dried herself and pulled the simple dress on, smoothing the material around her protruding belly. She smiled gently at the bump and placed her hair in a low ponytail. She opened the wooden door to the smell of fish and rice as Midori scuttled around the kitchen area, banging pots and pans together.

"Ah, Mori! Dinner will be ready soon" Midori said in a cheerful voice.

Mori smiled faintly and headed for the front door.

"I will be back Midori, I have to go out for some fresh air" Mori called out, already heading out the front door before Midori could say anything.

Mori took a big breath and let it out as the sun shone in the sky. The villagers were walking around, doing their shopping or working as lunch arrived. A small voice in her mind begged Mori to run through the forest, to feel the ground crunch under her paws and feel the wind blow through her fur. Without thinking, Mori reached deep inside her to grasp at the canine chakra. Due to Mori being further in her pregnancy, her change wouldn't harm her child as her body already created a safe haven for the unborn child. Hands turned into paws and furry ears rose on top of her head.

Mori shook out her fur and stretched each of her four limbs. Her belly was visibly extended to the naked eye, and Mori snorted.

She lifted her head and scented the air, searching for a source of meat. A smell hit her nose, and her nostrils flared as she found the scent trail of a small deer herd. She followed the scent until she reached the herd, and slowly crept forward, ears pressed forward. The deer's heads snapped up as the wind changed, their black noses twitching. With a stamp of a foot, the herd took off. Mori exploded behind them, paws thundering on the ground.

An older doe was falling behind the herd, and with a snarl Mori zeroed in on the doe. With a snap, she grabbed the back leg of the older animal and slowed down, slowing her prey down with her. It struggled, letting out keening cries as its herd mates continued running. Mori quickly moved to the throat, biting in deep and drinking in the hot blood as the animal gave one last gurgling breath. She dropped the throat and lifted her head, howling about the successful hunt. She growled low in her throat and dug in to her meal, savouring the flavour.

Sometime later, Mori found a stream and cleaned her paws and maw free of the sticky blood. She took a long drink from the stream and decided to take a short nap in the sun. She got herself comfortable as the sun beamed down on her fur, warming her. Mori rested her muzzle on the ground and closed her eyes.

After what seemed like only seconds, Mori was awoken to a rustle in the bushes beside her. Her head raised and her nose twitched, trying to scent the breeze. With a low growl, Mori rose slowly to her feet as the bushes continued to rustle. Her mind was screaming at her to run, to save her unborn child but another part wanted to see who was there. Her nose twitched when a person pushed himself out, patting the twigs and leaves away from his jacket. Mori's eyes widened when Iruka knelt down, filling a canteen with water from the stream. She stood still as her love continued, seemingly not to notice her presence.

The Chunin finally looked up and blinked in surprise as he saw a wolf standing not too far away, red eyes locked on his own. It crept forward slowly, muzzle lowered and tail wagging slowly.

"...Mori?" Iruka whispered in confusion.

Her ears twitched when she heard him mutter her name in confusion, and with a sigh she returned to a human. Her eyes opened to see Iruka's eyes widen in shock and confusion and her own eyes began to burn from tears. Mori lowered her head in shame as he slowly walked up to her. She had left him in a moment of fear and ran away.

She abandoned her child's father and ran away. Her red eyes blinked in surprise when hands grasped her arms and crushed her to a solid chest. The smells of chalk and paper wafted into her nose, and her muscles relaxed into the embrace.

"I found you" he said into her hair, and Mori felt her tears slid down her cheeks.

Her shoulders quivered as her hands came up to clench at his vest.

"I'm sorry" Mori whimpered, and Iruka pulled back with a confused look on his face.

"For what?" he said, and blinked in surprise when he felt something between them.

He looked down to see her belly protruding from her dress, and his jaw opened in shock. Mori stepped back and placed her arms around her belly, as if protecting it from Iruka's shocked response.

"Y-you're...we...belly...how" Iruka stuttered, and Mori hid a giggle from behind her hand.

"Yes, I'm pregnant. This child...it's yours too" she said, smiling down at her belly.

There was a stunned response, and Mori bit back a yelp when Iruka crushed her to his chest, a laugh vibrating against her cheek.

"That's great!" he shouted happily, and Mori couldn't help but smile in response.

"You're okay with this?" Mori asked quietly, and Iruka gave her a radiating smile in response that left her heart pounding.

Iruka swooped low and kissed her soundly, happiness radiating from his body. He was going to be a father. Mori felt as if she was going to explode in happiness. Iruka was here and was excited about this child that they made together.

Nothing could make her happier.


	43. Chapter 43

Mori's hand played with the fabric of the vest as she allowed herself to lounge in Iruka's embrace. Her heart fluttered when his scent enveloped her. His hand hesitantly hovered over her belly, and her lips quirked in amusement. She gently placed her hand over his, and guided it to the top of her bump. A 'tap' resounded from inside her womb, and Mori shifted. Iruka stiffened and immediately began to worry.

"What happened?! Is it the baby? Are you in pain?" Iruka asked in a panicked voice.

Mori waved him off and placed a hand on her bump, rubbing it affectionately.

"I'm okay, this little one wanted to practice his taijutsu" she said.

The two were quiet for a couple minutes, enjoying each other's presence. Iruka inhaled, filling his lungs with Mori's scent of the forest. Something nagged at his mind, and Iruka frowned.

"Where did you go?" Iruka said, tightening his hold on the woman.

Mori was silent, and then heaved a large sigh.

"I couldn't face the villagers after what happened. I was a coward and ran away from my fear and you. I wouldn't let someone take control of me like that again. I don't want to kill an innocent person again, especially you. So I ran" Mori said quietly.

Iruka whirled the woman around, causing her to gasp quietly.

"I told you! You wouldn't kill me or anyone! You aren't like that, Mori. I would have done anything to keep you safe" he exclaimed almost to the point of yelling.

Mori blinked in surprise at his outburst, and her mouth opened and closed with no sound coming out. She bowed her head as her bangs hid her eyes from him. With a small growl, Mori gritted her teeth and her head snapped up to glare at the Chunin beside her.

"You don't know that I wouldn't kill you! You aren't me, Iruka, so don't pretend to know what I am like!" Mori shouted and in a flash of anger, pushed herself out of his grasp.

She took off running, ignoring his calls of her name. In a blink she enveloped herself in her canine chakra and bounded further into the foliage. Her paws pounded against the ground, churning up dirt in her haste to get away. Anger burned through her veins and her heartbeat pounded in her ears. How dare Iruka think he knew her?! He had no idea what she was capable of! Branches snagged at her fur and scratched at her face, but her anger caused Mori to keep going.

Finally she slowed down to a full stop, sides heaving and tongue hanging out of her mouth. Her lungs worked double time to bring in oxygen from her hard-paced dash, and her limbs shook as the adrenaline wore off. Mori shook out her fur and gazed around. Blinking against the sunlight, she was surprised to see she was on the outskirts of the small village that she had stayed after Midori brought her in.

With a sigh, Mori resumed her human form and walked with shaky legs to Midori's small house.

She entered the house and was barraged with exclaims of ' _where have you been?!_ ' and ' _I was worried sick!_ '. Midori stood in the small kitchen with her hands on her hips, a scowl on her face. Mori sighed and made her way to the kitchen. Bowls of rice, veggies and fish met her as she sat down. Midori huffed and pulled something from Mori's hair. Mori blinked when the elderly woman waved a twig in front of the mother-to-be's face.

"Why might this twig be here?" Midori asked with a raise of an eyebrow.

Mori frowned and spooned some food into her bowl. She didn't feel like telling the elderly woman at the moment, and just wanted to sleep. Midori snorted and threw the twig into the garbage before spooning some food into her own bowl.

"You will tell me when you're ready. Young ones never tell us elderly folks anything anymore" Midori said before sighing dramatically.

Mori felt her own eyebrow raise at the elderly woman's antics, and felt her lips lift in a small smile. Her shoulders relaxed slightly, but the feeling that a lump had lodged in her throat remained and the food settled in her stomach like a rock. Her eyes lowered, and she put her bowl on the table; if she took another bite she would be sick. A hard pressure was felt as her baby proceeded to push its head against the wall of her womb. She placed a hand on her bump, mind whirling with multiple thoughts.

"Mori? What's wrong my dear. You are unnaturally quiet this evening" Midori said, eyes searching Mori's face.

"I'm fine, Midori. I'm just very tired and need to rest" Mori said quietly.

She got up and quietly walked to her room. Her stomach roiled and churned, threatening to expel her food. She shakily sat down on the mattress, and curled herself around her bump. Her arms wrapped around the safe haven for her child and Mori felt tears threaten to fall. She pressed her face against her pillow as hot tears overflowed down her cheeks. Sobs shook her shoulders as she mourned for her unborn child.

How could she bring a child into this world when it's father would never want to see her again, let alone be safe around her. This prescious innocent life inside her needed to be safe, and how could she as a mother be able to keep her child safe?

A gentle and firm hand stroked Mori's hair, causing her to stiffen in surprise. She lifted herself from her pillow as Midori wiped her tears away. The elderly woman tsk'ed and brought the young mother-to-be's head to rest on her lap. She continued running her wrinkled hand through Mori's white hair, and the simple gesture soothed Mori's soul.

With a hiccuping breath, Mori told Midori everything from her pack to Orochimaru and to Kakashi, Team 7 and finally Iruka. Mori found herself rubbing her baby bump affectionately as she told the elderly woman about Iruka.

Midori nodded and helped the woman sit up.

"It seems like this Iruka really means the world to you. I can tell he loves you and will do anything for you. This child is lucky to have him as a father and you as a mother. You need him, and he needs you. What's stopping you?" she said, and Mori but her lip.

What was stopping her?


End file.
